Yesterday, Paolo Duterte, Davao City vice mayor and the eldest son of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, attended a hearing by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee investigating his alleged links to the drug trade.
After initially saying that Paolo and his brother-in-law Manases Carpio would not need to testify, Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella on Monday reversed course saying both were willing to face the Senate.
And face the Senate they did, but it was not the revelatory hearing some were hoping for.
Both Paolo and Carpio took the president’s advice and invoked their right against self-incrimination on most questions from the Senate, something that didn’t play all that well with Filipino netizens, many of whom quickly took to social media to air their opinions on the hearing.
https://twitter.com/GaylaAnnTB/status/905659661335924737
https://twitter.com/Watdahel_Marcel/status/905699515260223488
Paolo Duterte and the cops who killed Kian get to invoke their rights. While these young ones killed didn't get to.
— geIs 🇵🇸 (@amateriaboy) September 7, 2017
In one of the more heated parts of the questioning, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV alleged that Paolo was part of an organized crime group, a link that he said could be proved through a tattoo he has on his back.
“It’s been said that Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte is a member of the triad and the tattoo on his back will prove it. That will explain all of this and there is competition among syndicates,” Trillanes said.
When asked by Trillanes, Paolo said that he indeed has a tattoo on his back but when asked if it is a “colored and a dragon-like figure,” the president’s son invoked his right to privacy.
And Filipinos had a little fun with it.
what do you call the dragon tattoo at the back of paolo duterte?
DROGANG TATTOO! 😂
— NADiaz🇵🇭 (@nad0227) September 8, 2017
Paolo duterte's dragon tattoo is actually a violet dinosaur #DU30 #SenateHearing #Duterte pic.twitter.com/PQrgvzm5y6
— kbar (@okurrrista) September 7, 2017
Gusto kong malaman kung alin dito ang dragon tattoo ni Paolo Duterte pic.twitter.com/UX3ZctvFXK
— Jowana Bueser (@jowanabueser) September 7, 2017
https://twitter.com/daxconde/status/905629947745640449
Ito po ang tattoo ni Paolo Duterte sa likod. Si presidente ang nag sesign. pic.twitter.com/vbtdGW2k5H
— LAHING 🇵🇭 PINOYℹ️ (@lahingpnoy) September 7, 2017
In March, Paolo was accused of having drug links by a former Davao policeman. Yesterday’s Senate inquiry was on Paolo and Carpio’s alleged connection to a PHP6.4 billion (approx. US$126 million) shabu (meth) shipment from China.
