Presidential candidate and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte (Ace R. Morandante/davaotoday.com file photo)
TAGUM CITY — Presidential candidate and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has instructed his lawyer, Salvador Panelo to disclose the details of his Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) account at Julia Vargas branch on Monday, May 2 in front of Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.
But Duterte on Friday, April 29 also said that he will open his bank account only if Trillanes will execute an affidavit and file a case against him.
Duterte said he expects Trillanes to go to the Julia Vargas Pasay branch on Monday, May 2.
“Doon siya (Trillanes) magpunta, (He should go there)” said Duterte. “Gusto ko nga mag-execute siya ng affidavit, para legal. Put them in black and white…para totohanan talaga. Hindi lang tsismis. (I want him to execute an affidavit to make it legal. Put them in black and white….to make it official. Not just a hearsay)”
If Trillanes will sign an affidavit, Duterte vowed to open his account. “Kaya pumunta siya doon. Kailangan dala nya ang affidavit (He should go there, and he must have his affidavit with him.),” Duterte said.
Duterete said “I just want it proper.” “You execute an affidavit, you accuse the person, then the person, if he so desires, open (his bank account).”
He also asked the media to witness the face-off between Trillanes and Panelo. “Pumunta man kaya si Trillanes, at least, I can tell him what’s inside my account,” Duterte said. “Bahala na sila ni Sal(vador) Panelo mag-argue dyan.”
The Davao’s tough-talking mayor confirmed that the Julia Vargas BPI account is indeed existing but pointed out that it has a ‘little lesser than’ P211 million content.
“Ang sinabi ko ay wala akong deposito na ganoon kalaki. (What I said is that I don’t have that big deposit),” he said. “I might have said it in a different way, but I didn’t say that I have deposits that big.”
He admitted that the Julia Vargas BPI branch account has a less than P200 million. Asked why the money was not indicated in his statement of assets and liabilities and net worth (SALN), he said he has already spent the money.
On the other hand, PDP-Laban spokesperson Atty. Paola Alvarez branded Trillanes as “inventor of the week.”
“Sen. Trillanes should be voted ‘inventor of the week’. He is becoming more of an inventor than a senator,” Alvarez added, reiterating the challenge made by Duterte for Trillanes to sign an affidavit before the tough-talking mayor opens his bank accounts.”
“We call on Sen. Trillanes to execute an affidavit and reveal where and when he got his information and why he released it,” she said.
“It’s now in his hands. If the senator is confident of his information, he wouldn’t mind signing his name to a legal document to back up his claim,” Alvarez said. (davaotoday.com)
