Panelo to Trillanes: ‘Waiver’ Duterte signed in 2016 still valid

After Senator Antonio Trillanes IV dared the Chief Executive anew to reveal his bank accounts, a Palace executive said that the special power of attorney (SPA) then-presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte signed in 2016 remains valid.

“The same has been done a long time ago particularly in the first week of May, 2016 with the BPI as regards his allegation that PRRD has PHP 211 M in his savings account. The waiver remains valid,” chief presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo said in a text message to reporters on Monday.

“The waiver issued by the PRRD will allow the bank to divulge the transactional details of PRRD's account,” he added.

The SPA, which Panelo presented at the Bank of the Philippine Islands' Julia Vargas branch in Ortigas Center, Pasig City, authorized him to "request and receive" from the BPI branch bank certificates showing Duterte's account balances.

Trillanes had claimed that Duterte’s account at this branch contained P211 million at some point since it was opened.

The BPI certification showed Duterte as having a little over P17,000 in his account as of March 31, 2014. Trillanes had said that Duterte received a total of around P200 million through the account as birthday gifts in 2014. His birthday is on March 28, which was a Friday during that year.

Trillanes earlier signed bank secrecy waivers and dared Duterte to also do the same.

Duterte on Saturday said that Trillanes has offshore bank accounts, a few days after the senator grilled presidential son and Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte over his alleged links to the illegal drug trade. — BM, GMA News