Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo Duterte welcomed the new drug smuggling and graft complaints filed against him by former Senator Antonio Trillanes at the Department of Justice (DOJ), saying this gives him an opportunity to answer charges in a court of law instead of going through social media.
“I welcome Antonio Trillanes’ plan to file a drug smuggling case against me. This is a welcome development, much better because the hearing will be held in a Philippine court, not on the court of Facebook,” Rep. Duterte said in a statement.
The Davao City legislator, eldest son of former President Rodrigo Duterte, said the lawsuits will help address accusations against him, ensuring that “the truth will prevail.”
“I have always maintained my innocence, and I am confident that the judicial process will clear my name. It is important to rely on our legal institutions rather than resorting to trial by publicity or baseless allegations,” Rep. Duterte added.
Trillanes also named in the complaint lawyer Mans Carpio (husband of Vice President Sara Duterte), former Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon, and several others who were allegedly involved in the P6.4 billion shipment of crystal meth seized in 2017.
The former senator accused at least 10 respondents of violating Republic Act (RA) 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Acts of 2002 as amended by RA 10640 and RA 3019, otherwise known as the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
Meanwhile, Rep. Duterte claimed that this might also be a similar case in which Trillanes “made a fool out of himself” when he presented alleged evidence against him as a mercenary.
“I am not surprised who Mr. Trillanes has once again fooled to fund this desperate attempt to peddle this baseless story to the Filipino people. I also look forward to the resolution of the libel cases I filed against him,” he added.
Also named in the complaint are former Presidential Adviser on Indigenous Peoples’ Concerns Allen Capuyan, Davao City Councilor Small Abellera, Charlie Tan, and four others.
