Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte (davaotoday.com file photo)
DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The name of the presidential son and this city’s vice mayor Paolo Duterte is again dragged into an alleged anomaly at the Bureau of Customs as reported by the national broadsheet Manila Times published on June 26.
The story ran on the reported losses at the BoC to a tune of P48 million a month in duties and taxes due to undervaluation.
The Manila Times story was based on an interview with BoC Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon who, in the midst of his anti-smuggling campaigns and cleansing the bureau from graft and corruption, is being undermined by personalities involved in the so-called technical smuggling done in the country’s major ports, particularly the Manila International Container Port or the Port of Manila.
The news report also revealed the names “Tevez and “Kimberly” as those behind the continued technical smuggling in the ports and name dropped as their backers the “Davao Group and Polong”.
“Polong” obviously refers to Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte, it being his nickname.
“It has come to my attention that Manila Times came out with a story entitled ‘Customs losing millions of pesos to undervaluation’ published on June 26, 2017 wherein my name was implicated in an alleged anomaly in the Bureau of Customs,” Vice Mayor Duterte said in a statement to the media on Tuesday.
Paolo Duterte said that even before his father was elected President, his name was already dragged in several anomalies at the BoC.
“Until now I have yet to see a single charge of corruption against me,” he stressed, as he challenged accusers to prove their allegations.
“I have been challenging all and sundry to file a case against me if they could prove that I was involved in any anomaly at the BoC and yet no one has,” the vice mayor stressed.
Paolo Duterte also hit the reporting that Manila Times do and in treating the issued.
“Gone are the days when good journalism would dictate for one to seek first the reaction of the ‘accused’ before publishing a story,” he said.
He asserted that not one from the Manila Times attempted to make a contact for his reaction to the allegation.
“Had there be, I would have outrightly denied it and this statement would have been unnecessary,” he said
Vice Mayor Duterte reiterated that he has no involvement in any anomaly at the BoC.
“It’s plainly obvious, and only an idiot would not see this from a mile away, that some people are just using my name to their personal advantage,” he said, adding that such situation is obvious as his father is already the President of the Republic.
The Presidential son also expressed hope that “all government officials would take note of this so that they could not be swayed by anybody into allowing corruption to happen at my behest.”
He also gave the warning to stop using his person to any illegal activities.
“Let this be a warning as well to all nefarious individuals out there to stop using me or my family’s name in their illegal activities. I make this promise to you — you will pay for your crimes,” Paolo Duterte said. (davaotoday.com)
