MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte said he plans to subpoena the 84-year-old mother of Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV over her government dealings with the Philippine Navy.
Speaking to the local government leaders at the League of Municipalities on Tuesday evening, the President said the executive branch has the power to summon Trillanes’ mother.
“Sumobra ka (Trillanes). We will initiate an investigation kagaya mo and I will subpoena your mother sa ayaw mo o sa hindi,” Duterte said. “Baka sabihin mo walang power, there is. We also have the contempt power but we have to go to court.”
Duterte made the remarks amid his endorsement of Bong Go as senator, who was involved in the Navy frigate deal by alleging intervening in the transaction by backing a South Korean firm as a supplier.
The President has earlier accused Trillanes’ mother, Estelita, of having supply transactions with the Philippine Navy when Trillanes and his father were still in the military service.
Trillanes, in a statement before, welcomed the investigation and said that he is willing to be jailed – even in Duterte’s province in Davao – if anything illegal is unearthed from the probe.
“I welcome Duterte’s statement on probing supposed transactions of my deceased father (PMA Class ‘59 retired in 1988 and died in 1998) and my 84-year-old mother,” Trillanes said.
“In fact, I’ll raise the ante. If he finds anything anomalous, again, I would voluntarily walk into any detention facility kahit sa Davao pa,” added Trillanes, who was out of bail for his rebellion charges for the 2011 Manila Peninsula siege.
The investigation on Trillanes’ parents was the latest move done by Duterte against his fierce critic after previously revoking the amnesty provision granted by former president Benigno Aquino III./PN
