Salvador Panelo, President Rodrigo Duterte’s spokesperson, today dismissed a YouTube video which alleges that the president’s son Paolo Duterte is involved in the drug trade.
“Obviously, black propaganda,” said Panelo in a text message received by The Philippine Daily Inquirer and the Manila Bulletin.
The controversial video uploaded on YouTube is titled “Ang Totoong Narco List,” (“The True Narco List”) and allegedly exposes the real persons behind the Philippine drug trade.
The narco list is a list of persons who are allegedly involved in the illegal drug business. Duterte released the latest narco list last month.
Uploaded on the video-sharing platform on April 1, the video named Paolo as one of those who have allegedly benefitted from the illegal drug business. It presents documents that allegedly show Paolo receiving millions of pesos from the sale of illegal drugs through the accounts of Department of Agrarian Reform assistant secretary Waldo Carpio.
Waldo is the brother of Manases Carpio, husband of Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, Paolo’s older sister.
According to the video, Paolo was allegedly given the aliases “Polo Delta-TSG01” and “Alpha Tierra 0029” in the drug syndicate’s documents. The video also alleged that Paolo has a tattoo of “Alpha Tierra 0029” on his back.
Paolo, the former vice mayor of Davao City, posted a blistering attack on his Facebook account today to a person whom he called J.S.
Referencing the video, he wrote in Filipino: “Polo Delta- Paolo Duterte? Wow, the way you invent things. You’re just mad at Waldo [Carpio] because he’s stopping you from smuggling rice and sugar, right J.S.? You’re mad at me because I ignored you when I was on a plane because you’re such a braggart! Now, I will pay attention to you including my hand which is as big as your face. That’s the real news!”
Alluding to the video again, he said: “F*ck you, you also imitated Trililing!”
“Trililing” is likely Senator Antonio Trillanes IV. The lawmaker, a vocal critic of the Duterte family, accused Paolo of benefitting from the drug trade in September 2018. Trillanes also alleged that Paolo has a dragon tattoo on his back, which allegedly proves that the latter was part of a drug syndicate.
Paolo has refused to show his back when he was asked to do so by Trillanes during a Senate hearing.
In December 2017, Paolo resigned from his vice mayoralty post, citing his very public squabble with daughter Isabelle Duterte and allegations linking him to the smuggling of millions of pesos worth of shabu (meth). However, he’s aiming for a political comeback this year and is currently running for Congress for the first district of Davao City.
