Duterte likens Trillanes to Pacquiao: They want to hold power

President Rodrigo Duterte took a swipe on his two political nemesis – former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and Senator Manny Pacquiao – saying both are raring to hold power in government.

“Si Trillanes, parehas ni Pacquiao ‘yan.  They want to, you know, hold power because they must have seen an opportunity for themselves,” Duterte said in his weekly Cabinet briefing in Malacanang.

“I leave Trillanes to you . . . daldal nang daldal ‘yan, hindi naman lumaban ng debate ‘yan,” he added.

A constant critic of Duterte, Trillanes recently accused the president and his closest ally, Senator Bong Go of committing plunder amounting to around P6.6 billion over government contracts won by the construction firm owned by the senator’s father.

Go called the allegation rehashed and old.

Pacquiao, head of Duterte’s PDP-Laban party, has also been on the offensive , alleging that corruption has been happening in several agencies under the current administration.

Duterte has dismissed this and advised the boxing champion to instead do his duty in the Senate and refrain from being absent.

Talks have swirled that Pacquiao is eyeing to run for a higher post in the 2022 elections.  Trillanes has been named by the group 1Sambayan as one of its choices for either president or vice president in next year's polls.

Duterte's partymates, meanwhile, want the president to run for vice president after his term, a possible runningmate to her daughter, Davao Mayor Sara Duterte, who is being asked to seek the presidency.—LDF, GMA News