Palace: Trillanes has to have substantial proof to support claims vs. Paolo Duterte

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV should have substantial evidence to support his allegations against presidential son and Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte, Malacañang said on Thursday.

Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said Trillanes’ claim that Duterte was part of a drug triad was “pretty drastic.”

“Those are very serious allegations and he needs to have some substantial evidence to support that statement,” he said during a briefing.

According to Trillanes, Duterte's membership in a triad could be proven by a colored, dragon-like tattoo on his back.

"That's the membership of triads. I am not making any baseless allegations here," Trillanes said, adding that the information was from "a foreign country."

Duterte admitted that he has a tattoo but invoked his right to privacy when asked how it looks like.

Abella earlier said that President Rodrigo Duterte would not interfere in the Senate's investigation on what he called "malicious allegations intended to impugn their character and credibility." —KG, GMA News