President Duterte: I Invented Trillanes’ Singapore Bank Account To Trick Him

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday, September 19, admitted that he deliberately “invented” the bank account number of his staunch critic Senator Antonio Trillanes IV in Singapore to mislead the lawmaker.

In a live interview aired on state-run PTV4, the President confessed that Senator Trillanes’ purported Singapore bank account number he revealed last week was merely a “product of his imagination.”

President Duterte said he tricked Senator Trillanes by heedfully providing the senator a “fake” bank account number, noting that real bank account number was the one cited by Communication Assistant Secretary Margaux “Mocha” Uson and broadcaster Erwin Tulfo.

“The actual account number from Mocha and Erwin was 1178000281602. I read that and deducted a number. That’s nothing, a mere invention,” the President said.

“When you lie, you put another lie to cover this lie. To cover this lie, you put another lie. To cover this lie, it would be piled up. You if you get [a bank account number] with even one number being omitted, [that’s incorrect]. What I read was [178000296012],” he added.

Senator Trillanes went to DBS Bank-Alexandra branch in Singapore earlier in the day to personally belie the allegation of the President and his allies that he owned a bank account in the foreign country.

The senator, in a press statement, said he was told by the bank teller that the account number provided by President Duterte, Uson and Trillanes was non-existent.

“No such accounts, said the bank teller when I showed my passport and two account numbers given by President Duterte, Erwin Tulfo, and Mocha Uson. I also clarified if there’s Antonio F. Trillanes IV or Antonio F. Trillanes either existing or closed accounts and whether single or joint accounts on their bank,” Senator Trillanes said.

“Upon checking in her computer, the teller again said, ‘No such accounts exist,’” he added.

On September 15, President Duterte claimed that Senator Trillanes, under the name of “Antonio Fuentes Trillanes,” owned Singapore bank account number 178000296012 with a balance of 193,000, sans specific currency.

The President, however, called Senator Trillanes “desperate” for flying to Singapore to merely dismiss his allegations.

“What I used (bank account number) was fake. That’s just a product of my imagination. I deducted [a number there]. I deliberately did that,” President Duterte said.

“He’s desperate to go to Singapore. He spent money just for propaganda,” he added.

Still, President Duterte maintained that his source from a “foreign government” alleged that Senator Trillanes owned “bank accounts” in Singapore.

“The foreign government said you’ve been going back and forth to Singapore since September,” he said.

“Look at your stupidity: [I have your] deposit account verifications [on] Singapore banks. These are banks, not bank. So meaning, there are many,” the President added.

Source: SunStar Philippines