Duterte links Trillanes’ mother, Napoles to Kevlar deal with military

President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday linked the mother of outgoing Senator Antonio Trillanes IV to the purchase of substandard Kevlar helmets for soldiers in 1998—a transaction which he said involved alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Napoles.

It was the first time for Duterte to expound on his claim in September last year that the senator's mother, Estelita, had supply transactions with the Philippine Navy when Trillanes and his father were still in the military service.

"Ang number one na graft and corruption dyan noon sa PMA [Philippine Military Academy] ang tatay niya pati yung nanay niya. Remember yung Kevlar? It's a helmet na matigas, ang bala hindi masyado maka-penetrate. That's Kevlar," Duterte said in a speech in Davao City.

"Ang nag-deliver noon ang nanay ni Trillanes pati si Napoles. 'Yan ang totoo dyan. Kaya ni-review siya," he added.

Trillanes had earlier slammed Duterte for dragging his mother, who is suffering from advanced Parkinson's disease, into their political squabble. The opposition senator also said no cases were filed against his mother.

In reply to the latest statement against his mother, Trillanes said, "Komo tameme si Duterte sa Recto Bank issue, Nanay ko na naman ang pinagdiskitahan."

"Wagas talaga sya magsinungaling kasi sa katunayan, ang mga substandard na Kevlar helmets na yan ay isa sa mga issues na inireklamo namin nung Oakwood Incident. Kung may kinalaman ang mga magulang ko dyan, dapat nun pa lang, nilabas na ni GMA yan at ginamit laban sakin," he added.

The senator asked the Duterte administration to show documents that would prove that several investigations were already done on the issue of the Kevlar helmets and the links to his mother.

"Regardless, sabi ni Duterte mahigit isang taon na iniimbestigahan ng iba't ibang ahensya ng gobyerno pero ni isang dokumento ay wala syang mailabas para maiugnay ang Nanay ko sa kahit na anong iligal na transaksyon. Panatiko o ang mahina magisip na lang ang maniniwala pa sa taong ito," he said.

In 2010, the Sandiganbayan Fourth Division acquitted Napoles of the charges for conspiracy with public officials in malversation of public funds through falsification of public documents and violation of the Anti-Graft Law.

However, a Supreme Court inquiry in 2014 found that then-Sandiganbayan Fourth Division chairperson Justice Gregory Ong had acted as the contact of Napoles in connection with the Kevlar case while it was pending in his division.

Ong allegedly received money from Napoles prior to the release of the decision in the Kevlar case. The magistrate was dismissed by the high court. — NB/BAP, GMA News