Trillanes on Paolo Duterte’s complaint: Bring it on

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV yesterday welcomed the filing of a libel complaint against him by former Davao City vice mayor Paolo Duterte, saying it would be an opportunity for him to prove his allegations against the President's son.

Trillanes, who has been holed up in the Senate since Sept. 4 after President Duterte revoked the amnesty granted to him, said he intends to call the younger Duterte as a “hostile witness” in the event the libel case would progress in the courts.

By doing so, he said Duterte would be “compelled to show his tattoo on his back to prove that he is a member of a Chinese triad drug syndicate.”

“It would also be an opportunity for me to have his bank accounts subpoenaed,” Trillanes said in a statement.

The libel cases stemmed from the senator’s allegation that Duterte was involved in illegal drugs and had extorted money from ride-hailing companies.

Duterte strongly denied the allegations.

Trillanes is facing separate complaint of inciting to sedition and inciting to coup d’etat filed by Labor Undersecretary Jacinto Paras.

The senator said the cases were filed to lure him out of the Senate so he could be arrested.