Trillanes: Duterte told me he shot kneeling people in head

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

Vice presidential candidate Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV on Thursday said presidential aspirant Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte once shared to him in a casual conversation how he had shot kneeling people in the head.

“Kinwento niya sa’kin na meron siyang, may mga pinaluhod siya na mga tao tapos binaril niya sa ulo at nagkalat pa raw yung utak, yung ganon (He told me that he had people knelt before him and shot them in the head then their brains scattered),” Trillanes said over Radyo Inquirer 990AM on Thursday.

“Kinukwento niya sa akin, ako naman iniisip ko ah kung sundalo siguro at giyera yang environment…Kung militar ganyan. Pero ‘yung mga mafia style execution na ganyan tapos kinukwento  mo lang casually at mahimbing tulog mo, yun ibang klaseng tao yung gumagawa niyan, may mga diperensya ‘yan,” he added.

(He told me that and I was thinking that perhaps if the people involved were soldiers and the environment was during the war and included the military… But such mafia style execution shared casually and you could sleep well, people like that have psychological disease.)

READ: Duterte worse than Binay, says Trillanes

Trillanes said the tough-talking mayor shared the story during a meeting set up by a “common friend” in April last year for a possible tandem in the May 9 national elections. Duterte was not yet announcing his plans to run for president at that time.

The soldier-turned-senator said he took Duterte’s word that he would not vie for the highest national elective post in the land.

“Kasi ako vice presidential candidate, I was shopping around for a principal also, as a prelude to the decision to the group ngayon nagkausap kami, eh sa palagay ko nung  simula’t sapul  di nagsabi siya sa akin diretiyahan ‘ay kasi ‘di ako tatakbo talaga (but when we talked, he told me directly that he won’t run for president.)),’” he said.

READ: Trillanes: Binay a ‘lifelong thief,’ Duterte undisciplined, Poe ‘enthusiastic’

However, despite meeting with Duterte, Trillanes said he realized that a tandem with the feisty mayor would not work due to differences in principles.

“Pero looking back, iniisip ko mukhang hindi talaga pwedeng magsama dahil yung ano kasi, si Mayor Duterte talagang nakadikit siya sa mga komunista sa mga kaliwa. So hindi talaga pwedeng mangyari ‘yon,” he said.

(But looking back, I am thinking he and I won’t get along because Mayor Duterte is closely associated with the leftists and communists. So a tandem with him is really unlikely.)

Trillanes earlier said a Duterte presidency will spell disaster for the country.

READ: Duterte presidency would be ‘disaster’ for PH—Trillanes

Duterte, known for his iron fist style of leadership and tolerance for crime, was heavily criticized for alleged involvement in extrajudicial killings and links to the so-called Davao Death Squad. RAM