Duterte clears family from illegal drug trade
President Rodrigo Duterte denied his family, particularly his eldest son, former Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte, was into the illegal drug trade.
"I assure you, we are not into it," Duterte told reporters Thursday night in Palawan province when asked about a video that came out dragging Paolo and Agriculture Undersecretary Waldo Carpio, brother-in-law of Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, into illegal drugs.
He said the video that was posted on social media, accusing Paolo of his involvement in illegal drug trade, was "a propaganda."
"Well, that is a propaganda that has been repeated all the time. I know that's propaganda. I was told," Duterte said.
He accused the opposition as the one behind the video.
"The purveyor of that is number one, Nograles and the rest of the yellow. That's yellow," Duterte said, adding that opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes IV was also behind it.
He said that it has become Trillanes' passion to destroy them. But he said he would just ignore him.
Trillanes, in a statement, denied any involvement in the video.
But he congratulated those behind it linking Duterte family to illegal drugs.
"The accusations of the witness were very serious, quite pointed and well-explained. Having said that, I really wish I was part of the making of the videos so I could relish these moments but sadly I am not. In the meantime, I am looking forward, as everyone else, to the next episode," he said.
He said that the truth has finally come to haunt Duterte.
He recalled that when Duterte accused him of having offshore bank accounts, he confronted it squarely until he was able to debunk the President's accusation.
"That's why, my challenge to you is to sign the bank secrecy waiver to show that you're not corrupt and your billions of pesos did not come from drugs," Trillanes said.
As to Paolo, the senator dared him to show his back, which according to him has a tattoo, showing that the younger Duterte was allegedly a member of a drug triad.
Paolo also denied the allegations on his supposed involvement in illegal drug trade. Celerina Monte/DMS
