SENATOR Antonio Trillanes IV on Monday challenged President Rodrigo Duterte to disclose to the public any proof the former had misspent the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program.
The President reportedly threatened to expose how former President Benigno Aquino III and his allies, including Trillanes, misused the DAP.
The Supreme Court had earlier ruled as illegal some provisions of the said government spending program.
But Trillanes, a staunch critic of Duterte in the Senate, was unfazed by Duterte’s threat, saying all his allocations for projects had been listed on his website.
“All my allocations for projects through PDAF/DAP have been listed on my website. All these have been audited by COA [Commission on Audit],” Trillanes said in a statement.
PDAF was the lawmakers’ Priority Development Assistance Fund, which was declared unconstitutional by the high tribunal.
“So, go ahead Mr. Duterte, bring out whatever you want to bring out. Also bring out with it, if you want, your P2 billion bank deposits which you stole from the country,” Trillanes added.
There was no immediate reaction to Trillanes’ statement from Malacañang.
Towards the end of the campaign period in the May 2016 elections, Trillanes accused Duterte of having more than P2 billion in bank deposits.
He also asked Duterte to just sue him for libel if indeed his allegations were not true.
Duterte said the media could just request a statement from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas about his accounts, and would resign if proven he had P200 million.