Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV said he will file a case in January against Davao City 1st District Representative Paolo Duterte over alleged ₱51 billion worth of Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) projects, some of which were linked to flood control.
In a television interview on Saturday, December 27, Trillanes questioned why Duterte’s district was allegedly never inspected by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), the Philippine National Police (PNP), or the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) despite the scale of funding.
“Yes, sa January natin ifafile ito. So pinapasa-pasada namin ito, marami kasi ito eh. At ito, ang very clear dito, kinumpirma mismo ni Paolo Duterte na meron siyang at least 49 billion. Sinabi niya 49 billion daw ito, completed daw ito lahat. Ngayon, titignan natin,” Trillanes said.
He found it suspicious that investigators never checked Duterte’s district.
“Alam nyo, itong DPWH, yung mga inspektor ng ICI, ang dami, pati PNP, AFP, wala man lang sumilip dun sa distrito ni pulong Duterte. Yun yung mahiwaga dito,” he added.
Asked why, Trillanes replied, “It’s either takot or kakampi nila.”
Trillanes also alleged a partnership between Duterte and Benguet Lone District Representative Eric Yap, who has been accused of being the beneficial owner of a construction firm linked to alleged anomalous and ghost projects.
“And by the way, hindi lang si Eric Yap yan. Ang kapartner niya dyan sa mga anomalyang yan ay si Pulong. Kasi alam ng mga taga-Kongreso na tao lang ni Pulong, si Eric Yap na ginawang appropriations committee,” he said.
He dismissed claims that alleged “DPWH leaks” showed only ₱764 million linked to Duterte in 2020, saying those figures reflected early requests, not final insertions.
“Pero nung nasa House na, lumobo ng bilyon-bilyon na yan. Kaya nga, kung tinotal mo 2020 to 2022, doon sa distrito ni Pulong, maliwanag naman yun eh,” Trillanes said.
The issue resurfaced after the late former Public Works Undersecretary Catalina Cabral told a House panel that Duterte’s district received ₱51 billion in flood control projects during the pandemic.
Duterte has denied any wrongdoing and previously skipped the ICI probe, calling it a “propaganda factory.”