Duterte bank accounts open to anyone except Trillanes — Roque

Duterte

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte’s wealth is always open for scrutiny by anyone except Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, Malacañang said on Thursday, maintaining that the Chief Executive has nothing to hide.

“Sabi po niya kahit sino puwedeng tingnan ang kaniyang bank account para ikumpirma na hindi po hihigit sa 40 million ang laman ng kaniyang mga bank accounts,” he said. (He said that anybody can check his bank records to confirm that he has no more than P40 million.)

“Hindi na niya papayagan si (He will not allow) Senator Trillanes,” he added.

Trillanes has been urging the President to sign a waiver to the bank secrecy law and open his bank accounts, even launching a nationwide signature campaign called “Sign the waiver!”

Roque also clarified Duterte’s statement that he would give the details of his bank accounts to the anti-corruption body he had created.

“Unang una lilinawin ko po, kasi nakatanggap ako ng mensahe according to the chair of the (PACC) na hindi raw totoo iyong kumalat na balita na ibibigay ni Presidente iyong kapangyarihan sa PACC mismo,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a press briefing. (First of all, I’ll just clarify because I received a message according to the chair of the [PACC] that the news about the President giving the power to the PACC is not true.)

Roque was referring to Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) Chairman Dante Jimenez.

“So mayroon akong nakuhang mensahe doon sa Viber group namin — inter department na Viber group — na hindi raw totoo iyong ganoong impormasyon. So iyon lang po ang nakita ko,” he added. (I got a message in our Viber group — inter-department Viber group — that that information is not true. That is what I saw.)

In a speech on Tuesday night, Duterte said he would let the PACC — an agency he created in October last year — scrutinize his bank accounts.

“Ano mang silipin mo sa akin (What will you get from me)? You — you want to know my bank accounts? I’ll give it to you, right now. Walang biro, sulutan ko (No joke. I will approve it),” he said.

“Or kayo may mga kapatid talaga kayo nasa (if you have siblings working in) Central Bank. I will not take it against you, sige buksan ninyo ‘yung computer (go ahead, check it on the computer),” he added.