Duterte calls Drilon ‘a friend,’ denies going after him

Sen. Franklin Drilon INQUIRER file photo

President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday denied involvement in the latest claim of alleged pork barrel mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles that she gave P5 million to Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon for the latter’s senatorial campaign during the 2010 elections.

The President said he considered Drilon a “friend.”

“Senator Drilon, if I talked to somebody urging a case against you about the PDAF [Priority Development Assistance Fund], bring that person in my presence and I will resign because you are my friend,” Mr. Duterte said.

“I’ve said that it’s not … my style to go after (officials of previous administrations) … Napoles said she had many more things to say … but you’ve been a friend from way back, so I respect that,” he added.

Napoles is detained at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig on plunder charges in connection with the alleged misuse of lawmakers’ PDAF. —Philip C. Tubeza