Senator Antonio Trillanes IV (left) at the Kapihan sa Senado forum. TARRA QUISMUNDO
MANILA, Philippines— Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV on Thursday urged Filipinos to be discerning about a leader who usually broke his word, noting how President Rodrigo Duterte has several times acted against his own promises, including initially refusing to run for the land’s highest post and, most recently, his vow to God never to curse again.
“For me, that’s not new,” said Trillanes when asked to comment on how Duterte had just broken his promise to swear off expletives.
“He said he will not run… Filipinos just rode along… You didn’t see, you’ve been had…. There’s something wrong with you when you allow yourselves to be fooled,” he said at a Senate media forum.
“Open your eyes. Niloloko ka na. Niloloko na tayong lahat (You are being fooled. We are all being fooled),” said the senator, a member of the chamber’s small minority.
Trillanes noted how “there’s something wrong with the Filipino people” when support for the President remains strong despite his frequent turnarounds on official pronouncements.
He also cited the lack of public outcry over the still growing death toll in the President’s fierce war on drugs, adding there should be “a day of reckoning” for Duterte.
“When someone kills, he should be held accountable. If we are angry at thieves, how much more at murderers? There’s something wrong about our morals these days,” he said.
Trillanes believes the President is behind the spate of drug-related deaths, just as he was responsible for the killings of drug suspects in Davao City during his time as mayor there.
“I am firm in my belief that President Duterte was behind the DDS (Davao Death Squad) in Davao City and the extrajudicial killings now happening in our country,” he said.
“If he was not the one behind this, then why can’t he stop it? Instead, he is even encouraging the killings. This is the big problem we’re facing here,” said Trillanes. CDG/rga
READ: Duterte behind summary killings in PH, Trillanes insists
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