DAVAO CITY—Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte admitted Tuesday that his children are affected by the accusations that Senator Antonio Trillanes IV have hurled at him, but blamed the media for “twisting the stories” about him.
The eldest son of President Duterte said that his kids even went to him crying and asked what is happening.
“Remember during the campaign when the issue came out that my wife and I were drug pushers, my daughter, Sabina came to our room crying, she asked if we will be imprisoned,” the younger Duterte said.
The younger Duterte then lambasted the media for “twisting the stories” about him that affected his entire family.
“Sad to say, we do not own the media. Some other groups are holding them [and] that is why they are twisting the stories about me,” he said.
He said that he decided to appear in the Senate hearing on Thursday to clear his name for the sake of the Davaoeá¹…os and his children against the “senseless allegations” against him.
He then clarified that he was invited by the Senate and not subpoenaed.
“When I received the invitation, I really told Mans (the husband of Mayor Sara Duterte) that we should go since it is now the time to clear our names,” he said.
Asked whether he is willing to show his tattoo in answer to Trillanes’ allegation that his “dragon tattoo” will prove his membership to a triad, the younger Duterte said that he will, “but not now.”
“When the time comes that he will fall from what he is doing, then I will show my tattoo,” he said.
He also said there was intelligence information that a former president had a meeting with three big business leaders and the former US ambassador to the Philippines, Philip Goldberg at the US embassy in Manila to plan to destroy him, since he was the “weakest among the Dutertes.”
He did not offer any other details, however.
“I have been the punching bag ever since before, from being a drug addict to a drug pusher to a smuggler and a triad member,” he said.
The vice mayor also showed his Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watch, which has come under social media scrutiny, and challenged the media to sell it for P1.9 million—its alleged value–if any pawnshop would buy it for that price.
“Take this, if you can sell it. Go ahead, if you can sell it for P1.9 million, the money is all yours,” he said.`