Vice President Sara Duterte on Thursday strongly denied renewed allegations of undisclosed wealth, criticizing former senator Antonio Trillanes IV and questioning what she described as a coordinated political effort against her.
In a statement, Duterte said Trillanes has been repeating the same claims about supposed billions in bank accounts for nearly a decade without presenting proof.
Trillanes recently made recurring allegations against former President Rodrigo Duterte and the vice president regarding billions of pesos in alleged unexplained wealth and the over P2.4 billion in total transactions through joint bank accounts.
“Simple lang ang sagot ko sa lahat ng paninira. Malinis ang aking service record; hindi ako kailanman nagkaroon ng kaso sa paggamit ng pondo ng bayan. Lahat ng aking ari-arian at pera ay idineklara ko sa aking SALN. Ang bawat sentimo ay mula sa lehitimong pinanggalingan at may kaukulang dokumento,” Duterte said.
She also took aim at institutions she claimed were being used for political purposes, citing the alleged timing of reports and investigations.
“Hindi rin maikakaila ang timing ng lahat ng ito. Ang sunod-sunod na alegasyon at kaso laban sa akin ay nagsimula matapos akong umalis sa gabinete, sa panahong tumanggi akong pumirma sa isang pambansang budget na hindi ko kayang ipagtanggol sa taumbayan,” she said.
Duterte further alleged that those behind the accusations were backed by powerful figures and government bodies, though she did not provide specific evidence to support the claim.
“Ang mga totoong magnanakaw, hindi sa bangko pinapasok ang pera kundi sa maleta,” she said.
The vice president also questioned the administration’s priorities, raising issues on public spending, inflation, peace efforts, and crime.
“Nasaan ang malinaw na sagot sa mga bilyon-bilyong piso sa flood control projects? Nasaan ang konkretong solusyon sa patuloy na pagtaas ng presyo ng bilihin, sa kahirapan, at kagutuman?” Duterte said.
She urged the public to remain focused on what she described as more pressing national concerns rather than political controversies.
“Huwag kayong magpalinlang sa ingay ng impeachment na ito. Dahil ang tunay na laban ay para sa kapakanan ng mga Pilipinong dumadanas at dumaraan sa tuminding hamon ng buhay araw-araw,” she added.
Trillanes has yet to issue a response as of press time.
