Press Release
September 11, 2017

Sen. Leila M. de Lima's Statement on President Duterte's Threat to Destroy Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV
Dispatch from Crame No. 156

The only way Duterte can counter his son's drug links is by killing the messenger. That messenger is Senator Trillanes. He has done the same to me, he will do the same to anyone who opposes and exposes him and his family for what they are, the entitled warlord family of Davao and now of the entire Philippines.

In this sense nothing distinguishes the Dutertes from the Ampatuans. What they fall short of physical assassination, they make do with character assassination. Not that they are incapable of the former. God knows they are. In fact, the Ombudsman is already about to conduct a preliminary investigation on Matobato's charges that Polong regulary asked the Davao Death Squad to assassinate just about anyone who angers him, including Richard King, his rival suitor to a woman.

But Duterte's threat this time against Senator Trillanes is both desperate and hollow. The senator has already agreed to sign a waiver for the Ombudsman and AMLC to look into his bank accounts. Sadly, the same was asked of the Dutertes at the start of the campaign, but they blinked in the face of the truth, that their family is hiding ill-gotten wealth in several bank accounts as exposed by Senator Trillanes.

Duterte and his panganay continue to be bullies in the playground. They bully the smaller kids but when the smaller kid hits back, they run to the teacher with lies. This is not the President we deserve, one who cannot take what he dishes out.

Senator Trillanes has accepted Duterte's challenge and is executing a waiver. After more than one year of Trillanes' own challenge, the Duterte family still refuses to execute their own waiver. It's not difficult to tell who is hiding something here, and who is telling the truth.

Duterte should stop bullying the AMLC to fabricate bank account records against his enemies and nemeses. He should instead ask the AMLC to once and for all reveal the true net worth of the Duterte family. We might just be surprised to discover a Marcos-type stash of gold in the mountains, 10 billion pesos worth as Duterte once publicly boasted.

Why be shy now Mr. President? Show your billions. Or are they already safe in China for safekeeping, while you sell our islands and the patrimony of this country to the Chinese?

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