The government has started an investigation into the military transactions involving the parents of Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, President Duterte announced Monday.
The President has vowed to reveal details of the contracts after lashing out at Trillanes, a former rebel soldier critical of his administration.
“We are looking into the paper. We’re investigating quietly ‘yung mga deals sa panahon ng tatay pati ‘yung involved ang nanay [during the time of his father and those that involved his mother],” Duterte said during the groundbreaking of a water project in Davao City Monday.
“And he can be very sure na lalabas lahat ‘yan [it will all come out],” he added.
Back in September, the President alleged that Trillanes’ mother was engaged in supply transactions with the Navy while his father was in service.
Trillanes however hit back at Duterte for dragging his parents, particularly his ailing mother, into their row. Trillanes’s father Antonio Sr. previously served in the Philippine Navy. He retired from the military in 1988. He passed away in 1998.
In his speech in Davao City, the President resumed his tirade against Trillanes, criticizing his involvement in past mutinies and disrespect of resource persons attending Senate inquiries.
He said they should have killed themselves instead of surrendering to authorities after staging past military uprisings.
“One of these days maghanap ako ng financier – the Magdalo story. Gawin ko kayo kengkoy lahat. Kengkoy man talaga. Nag-surrender. The least you can do is nagpakamatay ka,” he said.
Duterte hit back at Trillanes and his fellow rebel soldier Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano, saying there were not reformers but “idiots” who do nothing but criticize the government.
“Itong dalawang walang ginawa kundi manira ng puri ng tao [These two have done nothing but destroy people’s reputation]. I don’t know what happened to them,” he said.
Duterte explained that he does not really like Trillanes after he embarrassed former Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes during a Senate hearing years ago.
He said Reyes asked permission to defend his honor but Trillanes told him to sit down since he supposedly did not honor. Duterte previously claimed Reyes, a former military chief, committed suicide after being humiliated by Trillanes.
“Itong si Trillanes wala talaga. Something is wrong between his… gray matter between his ears,” Duterte said.
“Akala ng mga tao reformers only to be such idiots also there,” he said on the election of the two rebel soldiers after getting pardon from the previous administration.
Duterte also took a swipe at Alejano for pretending to be a lawyer. “Sometimes he sees a document, he interprets it and he knows that he’s only good for four years of education and he interprets it and he talks like a lawyer, pretending to be (one),” he added.
