Piqued ex-Pres. Duterte moves as if about to hit De Lima, Trillanes at QuadComm hearing

Former President Rodrigo Duterte made a gesture as if aiming to hit former Senators Leila de Lima and Antonio Trillanes IV during their confrontation at the House QuadComm hearing on Wednesday on the Duterte administration's drug war.

According to a "24 Oras" report by Mark Salazar, Trillanes raised anew the plunder case he filed against Duterte and dared him again to sign a waiver on his bank accounts.

Trillanes presented before the QuadComm bank transactions of at least P2.4 billion under the names of Duterte’s family members. 

“Ito yung mga iba’t-ibang pumasok na mga kaperahan na accounts ni Duterte….So ang total po ng credits na pumasok ay P2.4 billion,” he said. 

(These are the amounts that were deposited to the accounts of Duterte…So the total credits were P2.4 billion.) 

But Duterte seemed to be irritated with Trillanes’ allegations, saying that he would hang himself if the bank transactions were proven true. 

I will hang myself

“I’m willing to execute an affidavit to summon the banks pursuant to my waiver kung may totoo lang maski-isa, I will hang myself in front of you. I will summon, I will sign a waiver, all banks, maski World Bank. Kung may isang totoo lang, I will resign and I will ask my daughter to resign and everybody in the family, and I will hang myself,” said Duterte.

(I’m willing to execute an affidavit to summon the banks pursuant to my waiver, if there's at least truth in that, I will hang myself in front of you. I will summon, I will sign a waiver, all banks, even the World Bank. If there is at least one truth in his allegations, I will resign and I will ask my daughter to resign, and everybody in the family, and I will hang myself.) 

The former senator said that he acquired the said bank documents during the campaign season of the 2016 presidential polls. He also said that Duterte admitted then to the said bank deposits. 

“Nung campaign po nung 2016, may nagabot po sa aming opisina na ang pangalan niya ay Joseph De Mesa. Mayroon siyang mga dokumento na pwede namin tignan [...] Chineck namin kung totoo yun, may mga nag-deposito po na doon sa iba’t-ibang accounts ni Duterte, totoo nga, legitimate po,” said Trillanes. 

(During the campaign in 2016, a certain Joseph De Mesa provided us with the documents. When we checked, the deposits made to the various accounts of Duterte are actually legitimate.) 

“Then nung kampanya, nilabas ko po ito at inamin po mismo ni Duterte. Una, dine-deny ng kanyang spokesman, pero eventually, nung na-corner na siya, inamin niya. Hinamon niya rin kami na magbibigay siya ng waiver.” 

(During the campaign, I released these and Duterte admitted to these documents. At first, his spokesman was denying these bank transactions, but eventually he admitted to these. He also challenged us that he will provide a waiver.) 

The House QuadComm later asked Duterte if he can sign a waiver regarding the alleged bank transactions, but the latter made a condition to slap Trillanes: “Anong kapalit? Sampalin ko siya sa publiko?! Ngayon na, sampalin ko sa publiko.” 

(At what cost? Can I slap him in public?! I will sign it now, so I can slap him.) 

The former president also grabbed the microphone and threatened to hit Trillanes with it. 

Following the heated exchange, the panel decided to temporarily suspend the hearing for a few minutes.

De Lima

Earlier in the hearing, Duterte made the same gesture of appearing to hit De Lima.

Duterte said he does know de Lima when Batangas lawmaker Gerville Luistro asked him if he was aware of the Laud quarry in Davao City which the Commission on Human Rights investigators led by then CHR chairperson de Lima identified as a grave site for Davao Death Squad victims.

“Sorry, I do not know [of de Lima],” Duterte said in reply to Luistro’s question.

De Lima later called out Duterte for saying so.

“He said hindi niya kilala kung sino man yan, ‘yung taga CHR na ‘yan. Nagtataka po ako roon. He’s lying when he said he does not know Leila de Lima. Yung DDS, iyong public hearing po namin, CHR inquiry sa Davao, siya po as then mayor,” she said.

“Secondly, there he had so many public pronouncements na ako ay tinitira niya, binabastos niya, kung anu-ano ‘yung mga sinasabi niya sa akin, binabantaan rin ako, saying you will rot in jail, Leila de Lima,” de Lima added.

(He had so many pronouncements demeaning me, disrespecting me, and threatening me.)

Duterte replied by saying he did not recognize de Lima due to her new hairstyle.

“She has changed her hairdo, hindi ko nakilala,” Duterte said.

After saying so, Duterte gestured at throwing a punch a de Lima, who was sitting beside him.

"He's lying when he said he does not know Leila de Lima. Noong first SONA, nilapitan nya ako, kinamayan nya pa ako. Hindi nya ako kilala? (He approached me, he even shook my hands, then he will say he does not know me)," De Lima said.

“Kilalang kilala ako ng dating mayor at ng dating pangulo. So he is lying,” she added.

(The former mayor and president knows me too well.)

Lanao del Sur lawmaker Zia Adiong later asked de Lima if she was uncomfortable sitting beside the former President.

De Lima replied, “I am uncomfortable but I will stay.”

“I am not afraid of him,” she added.

De Lima, who also led the probe on drug war killings during her stint as senator, spent seven years in prison, five of those under the Duterte presidency before being cleared of three counts of drug charges. 

Garma affidavit

Duterte also had a heated exchange with Rep. Ramon Gutierrez on the latter's questions about the affidavit of former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office head Royina Garma.

"I have not read the affidavit, so that I would not be in a position to correctly respond to your questions.  ...You are now trying to investigate me .....if that's the case, then better stop this proceedings, that is not proper," Duterte said.—LDF, GMA Integrated News