Vice President Sara Duterte’s spokesperson Salvador Paolo Panelo Jr. said Saturday that Duterte would be willing to sue former Sen. Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV over what he described as “endless fabrications” against the vice president and her family.
On Saturday, October 3, Panelo issued a statement after Trillanes held a press conference on Friday, instead of appearing before the Senate impeachment court.
“Confident that the law, the facts, and the evidence are squarely on her side, the Vice President will let the evidence before the Senate Impeachment Court speak for itself,” Panelo said.
He added that Duterte’s defense team was prepared to challenge Trillanes’ allegations if the prosecution presents them to the impeachment court for consideration.
Panelo accused Trillanes of repeatedly making allegations against the Duterte family since 2016 involving extrajudicial killings, alleged drug links, unexplained wealth, corruption and supposed connections to China.
He also cited Trillanes’ past links to individuals whom he described as witnesses, including Peter Joemel Advincula, alias “Bikoy,” lawyer Jude Sabio and Arturo Lascañas, claiming that their statements or credibility had been challenged or withdrawn.
Panelo further criticized Trillanes’ appearance before a House Justice Committee earlier this year, saying the former senator was not subjected to cross-examination by Duterte’s defense team.
He said Trillanes instead chose to hold a press conference when given an opportunity to face questioning under oath before the Senate impeachment court.
“Instead of defending his claims under oath, he chose the comfort of a safe and scripted press conference where his lies could once again go unchallenged,” Panelo said.
Panelo said Duterte would “gladly sue him for these endless fabrications,” but claimed that individuals who spread allegations against the vice president and her family were being protected by the administration.
He cited Ramil Madriaga and Rodulfo Gracioso Jr. as examples.
Panelo also accused the government of pursuing a campaign to politically damage Duterte, saying the effort would ultimately fail because, according to him, the public knows the truth.
