“I will not stoop down to his level of name-calling.”
This was Senator Trillanes IV’s reaction against “political ISIS” remarks hurled at him by President Rodrigo on Sunday.
READ: Duterte: Trillanes ‘dedicated to ignorance,’ a ‘political ISIS’
Duterte released his recent tirade following Trillanes’ call to summon presidential son Paolo Duterte and son-in-law Maneses Carpio to the Senate probe on the of P6.4-billion smuggled shabu that slipped past the Bureau of Customs (BOC).
“They persist because either they’re dedicated to their ignorance o … ito si [Trillanes] (or Trillanes here), political ISIS. Wala man siyang talent (He has no talent),” Duterte told reporters during the 41st birthday celebration of Rep. Karlo Nograles in Davao City.
Duterte said Trillanes was fond of making accusations without presenting proof.
Trillanes said he would reveal his evidence once Paolo and Carpio appear before the Senate.
“Hindi naman ibig sabihing sila na, ‘di ba. Ako, sinasabi ko dalhin ‘yung dalawa na ‘yun at ibubulaga ko sa kanila ‘yung ebidensya laban sa kanila,” the senator said in an interview over dzBB on Sunday.
(It does not mean that it’s them. What I’m saying is, bring those two and I’ll reveal the evidence against them.)
Trillanes said the allegations did not come directly from him but from the witnesses at the Senate investigation.
“The bottom line is this, his son and son-in-law were named as the masterminds behind the Davao Group and are being suspected of being involved in smuggling operations that led to the express entry of the 6.4 billion peso shabu shipment into the country,” the senator said in a separate statement.
“Those are not my allegations but information extracted from Sen. (Richard) Gordon’s witnesses during the hearings,” he added.
Former Customs intelligence service chief Neil Estrella earlier revealed during a Senate hearing that he saw Carpio came out from resigned Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon’s office.
When asked what Carpio’s business in Faeldon’s office was, Estrella said: “I am not privy to the situation. I just came down from my office and I chanced upon him (Carpio) going out of the office of the commissioner.”
READ: Estrella confirms visit of Duterte’s son-in-law at BOC
Mark Taguba II, an alleged broker, also showed a text message between him and a certain “Tita Nannie” from the BOC, who instructed him to give an “enrollment fee” worth P5 million to the Davao group. Paolo was mentioned in the text message.
Tita Nani’s message to Taguba said: “Good am, Mark. We’ll make final arrangement with Jack, he’s the handler of Paolo, now we have to advance the enroll. He can fly down to Davao to arrange your meeting with Pulong ASAP. During the meeting, you personally turn over the P5M, in the same manner you likewise turned over the LMLN to Jack when we met.”
Taguba later clarified that he did not personally meet the President’s son, but he said Davao City councilor Nilo “Small” Abellera, Jr. and a certain “Jack” claimed that they were collecting money for Duterte.
READ: Broker claims paying P1M weekly to Customs’ ‘Davao group’
Taguba also issued a statement and apologized for Vice Mayor Duterte and Carpio for allegations that they were involved in smuggling. He tagged as “fake news” reports drawn from his testimony in the Senate linking the President’s son and son-in-law to illegal activities.
Trillanes also noted that this was not the first time Paolo has been linked in smuggling and illegal drugs.
READ: Taguba apologizes to Duterte son, in-law, clears them from drug smuggling mess
“Moreover, this is not the first time that Paolo Duterte has been involved in smuggling and illegal drugs. Way back in 2007, there were derogatory reports from the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) and the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group about Paolo Duterte’s involvement in smuggling in BoC in Davao City Port,” the senator said.
“Then Edgar Matobato also testified about Paolo’s dealings with Customs officials in Davao City,” he added.
Matobato has been discredited by the Senate as a “perjured witness.”
READ: Senate panel recommends perjury, murder raps vs Matobato
The President, Trillanes said, was in a “panic” due to their “illegal acts” being revealed.
“Lastly, in Lascanas’ testimony, he was mentioned as having helped a certain Charlie Tan in drug smuggling,” the senator said.
“Si President Duterte ay nagpapanic dahil malapit na mabunyag ang mga illegal na gawain ng kanilang pamilya. Kaya naman pala bilyon -bilyon ang pera nila sa bangko,” Trillanes added.
During the birthday party of Nograles, Duterte criticized Trillanes for repeatedly making accusations against him and his family without providing any concrete proof. CBB