Trillanes ‘hates’ Duterte for not being picked as VP in 2016 —Paolo’s lawyer

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV has an ax to grind against President Rodrigo Duterte as the latter did not choose him as running-mate in the 2016 elections, the lawyer of Duterte's son, Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte, said Thursday.

"It's his job to destroy the President," lawyer Rainier Madrid said, referring to Trillanes, who has linked Vice Mayor Duterte to smuggling operations involving corrupt Customs officials.

"His propaganda is [that] the President is the drug lord, is the corrupt, and is the killer," he added.

"That has always been his thesis all along because he hates the President, because he wasn't chosen as his vice president. Understandable."

Trillanes ran for vice president in the 2016 elections. He placed fifth in the race, which was won by Vice President Leni Robredo.

Madrid said Trillanes is now concocting lies against Vice Mayor Duterte after the senator failed to prove Duterte's alleged ill-gotten wealth, which he said amounts to more than P2 billion, during the campaign season.

"It didn't work. Duterte was also elected eventually. Now he wants to hurt the President via his son, the weakest link," Madrid said.

For the first time since he was linked to smuggling activities, Vice Mayor Duterte attended Thursday's Senate blue ribbon committee hearing on the smuggling of the P6.4-billion shabu shipment from China. He denied the allegation. —KBK, GMA News