Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and Senator Alan Peter Cayetano. INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS
Vice presidential aspirant and Senator Alan Peter Cayetano lashed back at the jab of opponent Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV who said that a presidency under Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte would be a “disaster” for the country.
Cayetano, who is Duterte’s running mate, said that a Duterte presidency would only be a “disaster” for criminals, drug lords, and erring government officials.
READ: Duterte presidency would be ‘disaster’ for PH—Trillanes
“Yes a Duterte presidency will be a disaster. It will be a disaster for drug lords, criminals and corrupt public officials,” Cayetano said in a statement on Thursday.
Cayetano, who currently places third in the vice presidential preference polls, said that those who should be afraid of a Duterte presidency are those who are benefitting from corruption and criminality.
“The only people who are afraid of a Duterte leadership are those who benefit from corruption and unabated criminality. Mayor Duterte already made it clear. If you don’t want a peaceful country and a corrupt-free government, then don’t vote for him. If you want crimes and illegal drugs to thrive in our communities, then don’t support him,” he added.
He also took a swipe against Trillanes, saying that he was “not paying attention” to the supposed concrete plans of the Duterte-Cayetano tandem in curbing criminality and stopping government corruption.
In an interview which aired on Wednesday, Trillanes said that Duterte’s infamous tactics on stopping criminality and enforcing peace and order in Davao City may not be effective on a national scale.
“It’s going to be a disaster for the country because his methods may have worked in Davao but it’s definitely not going to work in the national scale,” Trillanes said in an interview with ANC’s “Beyond Politics with Lynda Jumilla.”
“You don’t run a country like that. There should be a vision, a program of action that you would have to enumerate,” he added.
Cayetano and Duterte are expected to unveil their platform in an event in Cebu City on Thursday. CDG
READ: Duterte worse than Binay, says Trillanes