黑料社

Sen. Antonio 鈥淪onny鈥� Trillanes IV on Tuesday said the administration was exploring all 鈥渦nderhanded tactics鈥� to silence the critics of President Rodrigo Duterte and his bloody war on drugs, like what Sen. Leila de Lima was facing.

In an INQ&A interview, Trillanes said he was bracing for the worst of attacks from Duterte鈥檚 camp since the campaign period, but noted that threats would not stop him from exposing what needed to be exposed.

鈥淚 am totally aware that they have sets of lawyers trying to find anything that can put us in jail鈥� Lahat ng mga underhanded tactics, it鈥檚 on the table. All options are on the table para lang makuha nila 鈥榶ung end nila,鈥� Trillanes said.

鈥淲hen I joined this expose, I assumed na bibirahin na ako,鈥� said Trillanes, who said before the elections that a Duterte presidency would mean a 鈥渄isaster鈥� for the Philippines.

After his privilege speech on Monday, Trillanes moved that the Senate blue ribbon committee investigate Duterte over his alleged direct involvement to more than a thousand of summary killings in his hometown when he was still Davao City mayor.

The senator tagged Duterte as a 鈥渕ass murderer鈥� President as he stood by the credibility of confessed hitman Edgar Matobato, who claimed to be a member of the infamous Davao Death Squad. During the campaign period, it was also Trillanes who revealed Duterte鈥檚 bank account which saw transactions of more than P1-billion in a nine-year period.

Trillanes also lamented that the congressional inquiry into the proliferation of drugs in the national penitentiary was being used by Duterte鈥檚 allies to coerce De Lima, who is being accused by the President and his men of coddling drug lords.

De Lima, who has become the President鈥檚 staunchest critic, initiated the Senate inquiry into the spate of suspected extrajudicial killings in the country amid the administration鈥檚 relentless antidrug campaign.

Trillanes said 鈥渋t doesn鈥檛 make sense鈥� that drug lords and convicts were being used to testify against De Lima by a government who is waging a war against drugs and criminality.

鈥淐redibility wise, character wise you cannot rely and hold on to the word of convicts. Bakit nangyari 鈥榶an ta鈥檚 binigyan pa agad ng immunity? Akala ko ba war on drugs tayo tapos ngayon ka-partner n鈥檡o in the pursuit of an alleged protector,鈥� he said.

(Why did that happen then they were given immunity? I thought we鈥檙e at war against drugs but now, they鈥檙e partners in pursuit of an alleged protector.)

鈥淜ung ang kanilang objective ay magkaroon ng (If their objective is to have a) chilling effect, they were able to achieve it at least for some,鈥� Trillanes added. TVJ

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