ADMINISTRATION standard bearer Manuel Roxas II called his rival Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte a liar Thursday, after showing journalists a deposit receipt for P500 that he said showed a member of the mayor’s staff had made a deposit into a BPI bank account that Duterte said did not exist.
“Mayor Duterte, you’re lying again,” Roxas said. “When can the people know the whole truth? When will we know if you’re saying the truth? You said yesterday that the account is non-existent, that it’s fabricated. You’re saying that it’s just made up. You’re even saying that we should prove that the account exists… Now, we proved that you’re a liar.”
Earlier this week, vice presidential candidate Antonio Trillanes IV accused Duterte of having a joint bank account with his daughter Sara in the BPI branch on Julia Vargas in Pasig City. He said that as much as P211 million was in the account, that was not part of the mayor’s statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN).
Duterte on Thursday backpedaled from his earlier blanket denial and admitted he had accounts at the BPI branch, but said it held thousands, not millions of pesos as Trillanes claimed. He said these represented savings from his stint as a congressman.
Like Trillanes, Roxas challenged Duterte to sign a waiver so the authorities could look into his bank account to prove or disprove the allegations against him.
Presidential candidate Senator Grace Poe and her running mate Senator Francis Escudero also challenged Duterte Thursday to sign a waiver of the Bank Secrecy Law.
“You gave your word, when nobody challenged you. They were even the ones who said they’re willing [to sign a waiver],” she said of Duterte and his running mate, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, who had earlier signed a manifesto in which they expressed their willingness to waive the Bank Secrecy Law in the interest of transparency.
Poe and Escudero noted that while privacy is important, transparency should always prevail.
Poe said she would be willing to sign a similar waiver.
Trillanes on Thursday vowed to resign from the Senate and quit politics if his claims against Duterte were proven wrong.
Speaking in a news conference at the Magdalo headquarters in Quezon City, Trillanes said he would leave politics if his discloosure that presidential candidate Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte did not declare at least P211 million in his 2014 SALN.
Trillanes said Duterte stashed the alleged “hidden wealth” in the BPI Julia Vargas branch in Pasig, and said P211 million was just “the tip of the iceberg.”
“In this issue, his courage disappeared. He must show his bravery in this issue,” Trillanes taunted Duterte.
“I’m standing by my reputation and track record… Don’t tell me I didn’t warn you. You have been warned. All the red flags have come out,” said Trillanes.
To support his claim, Trillanes showed the media a big sheet of paper which he called a “mother document.” He said it contained “all the details” and “collated information” on Duterte’s bank account.
Asked how Duterte’s wealth would compare to that of Vice President Jejomar Binay, Trillanes said Binay’s was of a “different level.”
Duterte said Trillanes had resorted to a smear drive to derail his presidential bid after he rejected the senator’s offer to run as his running mate.
Trillanes challenged Duterte to meet him at the BPI branch on Julia Vargas Monday morning so that he could bring his waiver and show how much he had in his accounts.
Trillanes said he would initiate an impeachment complaint against Duterte if he became president.
He also welcomed the threat from Duterte’s camp to file a libel case against him.
“Mayor Duterte, please file a libel case against me,” he said.
“The Duterte campaign is based on a lie. It is propaganda. Davao is not a paradise. Mr. Duterte does not sleep inside a mosquito net. He is a billionaire,” Trillanes said.
When questioned on the timing of his claims, the senator said he received information only last week through a “network of informants,” whose privacy he was trying to protect.
Also on Thursday, the Commission on Human Rights vowed to make Duterte accountable for his actions.
“We will continue to perform our duty with the view to ensuring all persons are held accountable for their actions,” CHR Chairman Jose Luis Martin Gascon told The Standard in a text message Thursday.
“If people’s actions are lawful and legitimate, as they should be, then all will be well,” he added.
Duterte, in his pitch before a group of businessmen on Wednesday, said that while he wanted to strengthen the country’s law enforcement agencies, he sees the human rights commission, the Ombudsman and even Congress as a “hindrance” in his fight against criminality.
He also complained at how Congress treated police officials who were summoned to testify during hearings.
“I will not allow that, just because you are a congressman, or a senator. Do not do that or else we’ll have a fight,” he said. With Sandy Araneta