Trillanes’ (PR) coup: ‘China, drug lord money went to Dutertes’

Nothing like former senator Antonio Trillanes IV to bring back the excitement and reanimate public attention to the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, which more than a few have lately described as dragging and, frankly, boring as hell.

After his much-anticipated appearance on the witness stand, the House prosecution announced on Thursday that it would no longer present him as a witness. This came after Wednesday’s impeachment proceedings were cancelled, which, if the whispers are to be believed, had something to do with resistance from within the impeachment court to Trillanes taking the stand.

The reasons being floated were varied. One was that his testimony would largely duplicate evidence already in the hands of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), making his appearance redundant. Another was that pro-Duterte forces did not want him to testify, fully aware of the impact of his presence, his reputation and, most importantly, the evidence he was expected to bring.

In the end, Trillanes himself decided that he would no longer offer himself as a witness, ostensibly to free the House prosecution from whatever pressure it was facing. After all, he said he was “not welcome” in the impeachment court.

Whatever story one chooses to believe, what is clear is that Trillanes’ aborted appearance in the trial created more noise than an actual appearance might have.

This is where the former military rebel leader pulled off another kind of coup. A PR coup.

When the witness stand of the impeachment court was no longer available to him, Trillanes called a press conference and took his testimony to a different court, the court of public opinion.

What was supposed to be testimony before the impeachment court, which could have been subjected to cross-examination, objections and limitations, became a largely undiluted presentation of the financial trail behind the Dutertes’ unexplained wealth. It inadvertently became a roadmap for the AMLC evidence expected to be presented in Monday’s impeachment court proceedings.

Citing AMLC records, Trillanes alleged that more than P319 million in China-linked funds flowed into Cale88 Foods, a company in which Manases “Mans” Carpio, the Vice President’s husband, had a substantial stake.

Trillanes also raised questions about millions in time deposits that he alleged were not reflected in Sara’s statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALNs).

He also alleged that P181 million was distributed through checks by alleged drug lord Sammy Uy to members of the Duterte family. The AMLC itself has confirmed that at least 18 transactions linked to Sara and her family members matched covered and suspicious transaction reports in the council’s records.

Then there is the P150 million allegedly coursed through the Tapang at Malasakit Foundation, where Sara was a board member, which Trillanes said came from the Chinese embassy.

Taken together, these allegations are extremely disturbing.

It is one thing to have public officials accused of plundering the country’s resources and using political power to build private wealth. That, in itself, is already a serious crime. But if Trillanes’ allegations are eventually substantiated, we are looking at the alarming possibility that foreign and drug money found its way into the financial and political affairs of the country’s second-highest official and her family, already under scrutiny over plunder accusations.

The issue of Sara’s unexplained wealth suddenly becomes more explosive as it now intersects with questions of foreign influence, national security and sovereignty.

Akbayan president Rafaela David described this as the “specter of China-funded plunderers” wielding power over our country, something that, she said, “should set off alarm bells for every Filipino.”

And rightly so.

If the allegations are proven, then Sara’s silence over China’s aggression against our fisherfolk and frontliners in the West Philippine Sea, as well as her indifference to the historic 2016 arbitral ruling affirming the Philippines’ maritime rights, is bought by foreign money. No wonder she has remained silent even as our Navy personnel have been attacked, as our Coast Guard vessels have been repeatedly rammed and damaged and as our fishers have been harassed.

This also raises the question of the motivation behind her presidential ambition, whether it is being shaped by money and influence from a foreign power that is openly challenging Philippine sovereignty. This is no longer simply a question of unexplained wealth, but a question of whose foreign interests are being served.

The allegations, if proven, would point to the country’s second most powerful leader accepting money from Beijing and from a drug lord. She is then not only a plunderer, but a traitor to the country she has sworn to serve. Quite a résumé for someone aspiring to become president.

Trillanes was therefore right to ask that if the allegations, once established by the proper evidence, are not enough for the impeachment court to seriously examine whether Sara is fit to continue holding public office, what else would it take?

Of course, the allegations remain allegations until they are properly examined, established and corroborated in the impeachment proceedings. This is precisely why Monday’s AMLC presentation matters.

On Monday, all eyes will be on the impeachment court. Trillanes may have been denied, or may have withdrawn from, the witness stand, but he has accomplished something more consequential. He has put the public’s questions on the table before the evidence is presented.

This is the challenge to the impeachment court and the senator-judges.

Will they let Monday be another day in a trial that many are starting to think is already stretching on for far too long, or will they let it be a day when the evidence speaks with such clarity that there can be no hiding behind procedure, delays and theatrics? The people await.