Palace calls Trillanes “like a broken record” amid call to probe Duterte’s alleged ill-gotten wealth
Malacanang branded on Sunday opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes IV "like a broken record" as the lawmaker plans to file a resolution early this week to formally ask the Senate to start the investigation on President Rodrigo Duterte's alleged ill-gotten wealth.
"It's an old music. It's been (an issue) since election. Is there nothing new? Like a broken record," Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a text message to reporters.
Trillanes vowed to file a resolution on Monday seeking a probe on Duterte's alleged ill-gotten wealth following the President's challenge to Congress to investigate the matter.
Trillanes' proposed resolution seeks to look into bank documents under the name of President Rodrigo Duterte and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio showing their undisclosed 'covered transactions,' or transactions exceeding P500,000.00, which may have violated the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA).
"President Duterte must address this issue squarely once and for all and stop fooling the Filipino people. If he has nothing to hide, he should bare it all and sign the waiver. On the contrary, he has been dilly-dallying in his statements, and instead has been bluffing the people by publicly ordering AMLC (Anti-Money Laundering Council) to investigate his alleged bank accounts, although we all know that AMLC would not do it unless he signs a waiver on bank secrecy," Trillanes said in a statement.
"And now, despite Duterte's continued denial of existence of his alleged undeclared wealth, he suspended Overall Deputy Ombudsman Melcor Carandang for supposedly releasing his bank documents from AMLC. What is there to leak when they deny such documents being released by AMLC?," he added.
In the proposed resolution, Trillanes particularly noted the report made by Vera Files that Duterte and Sara failed to fully disclose in their Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth their joint deposits and investments, which exceeded P100 million, under the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI).
Trillanes first raised the issue of Duterte's ill-gotten wealth in April 2016 and filed a plunder complaint against him before the Ombudsman in the same year.
"With this resolution, I am accepting President Duterte's challenge to investigate his alleged ill-gotten wealth to once and for all reveal the truth on this issue. The public wants to know the truth and it's in the hands of the Senate to uncover it," he said. Celerina Monte/DMS
