Duterte to Sereno, Morales: Let’s show our bank books to lawmakers

President Duterte shows a document in his interview during Erwin Tulfo’s program ‘Sa Totoo Lang’ which was aired on the People’s Television on September 29, 2017. RICHARD MADELO/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

MARAWI CITY – President Duterte on Monday challenged Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno and Ombudsman Conchita Morales to go with him to Congress and open their bank books in front of lawmakers.

“Just give us a table,” the President said, adding that this would show the Filipino people who was really corrupt.

“I have told you that mine could not be more than P40 million. It is a lifetime savings. I’m 72 now, I started working when I was 27, I became prosecutor,” he said during his visit here.

Duterte said his assets included lands he inherited from his father, the late undivided Davao Gov. Vicente Duterte.

“I said you can shoot me, you can overthrow me if you want if it’s more (than P40 million),” he said.

Duterte said during his term as Davao’s chief executive, he has never been corrupt.

Now that he is being accused of amassing billions of pesos in unexplained wealth, Duterte said he was challenging Carpio and Sereno and other officials to open their bank accounts to the public.

“That’s my challenge to every government officials and those who are pretending to be clean. Let us open our bank books so the people will know who are thieves and who are not,” he said.

In reiterating his demand that Morales should resign, Duterte said she was corrupt and that was the reason he was not submitting to the Ombudsman’s probe.

In accusing Morales of corruption, Duterte narrated the story of former Insp. Rolando Mendoza, who hijacked a tourist bus and eventually killed eight Chinese tourists from Hong Kong in 2010.

Mendoza, who was also later killed, Duterte said, had complained of being charged with misconduct because he could not produce the money asked of him. The police officer was eventually dismissed from the service.

“That’s how crooked the Ombudsman is,” Duterte said.

Duterte said he was just bringing out the truth and even challenged the Ombudsman “to make public all cases you dismissed because of money.”

He said he was willing to resign with Carpio and Sereno so that “we will have a better country.”

“Maybe for you to find a new leader,” Duterte added.

He said the supposed report of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) on his bank transactions was illegally obtained and was falsified to show he had so much money.

He said the one responsible for illegally taking it out was a mistress of a colonel.

“They are using the paper as evidence. They added everything like what they did to (Chief Justice Renato) Corona. But Corona was not given a chance really,” he said.

“So I will not obey the Ombudsman because she is corrupt and she is holding illegally obtained evidence,” Duterte said.

He said the only time the AMLC can release documents was if there was pending case. It should also be upon the request of the court or the Ombudsman.