PRESIDENTIAL candidate Rodrigo Duterte said Sunday he was willing to open his bank account records as far back as 20 years to prove he was not hiding anything.
“Make it 20 years,” he said.
The Davao City mayor’s spokesman said Duterte was getting more and more support from different places despite the allegations against him.
Paola Alvarez, spokeswoman of the Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan, said many political leaders in Bicol were switching to Duterte.
Those who had defected to Duterte were Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya of the Nationalist People’s Coalition, ex-Masbate governor Antonio Kho of the Nationalista Party, Mark Chris Dioneda of Sorsogon’s PDP-Laban, Jesus Typoco of Camarines Norte’s Nationalista Party, Vladimir Frivaldo of Sorsogon, an original Liberal Party member, and Ako Bicol Rep. Christopher Co.
She made her statement even as Malacañang on Sunday described as absurd Duterte’s statement that President Benigno Aquino III and the Palace were behind the demolition job against him.
“The allegation is absurd and unfounded. This is pure speculation,” Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. told dzRB radio.
Duterte said he believed Malacañang was behind the alleged exposé against him by Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.
He said despite Trillanes allegations that he had an undeclared P211-million deposit at the BPI branch on Julia Vargas Avenue in Pasig City, Duterte said his BPI account contained P17,000 and not P211 million.
While he was open to showing “all” of his bank transactions, all other candidates must be compelled to open up all their accounts, too.
“Why just me? What am I, their errand boy? We’re all running for president, why should it be just me?” Duterte said.
He urged the voters not to believe Trillanes.
“I took him for a ride because I wanted him to execute an affidavit,” Duterte said.
“If he signs an affidavit stating that this is my account and the amount deposited, I will file a case.”
Duterte said his BPI account containing P17,000 had ballooned to about P25,000 since Roxas and some other people had deposited various amounts to it in an attempt to verify its existence.
The P17,000 balance in his bank deposit would be donated to Caritas Philippines, a charity under the Catholic Bishops Association of the Philippines, Duterte said.
Earlier, he said he had tasked his lawyer Salvador Panelo to meet with Trillanes at the BPI’s Julia Vargas branch and open his bank account on May 2.