MANILA, Philippines - Liberal Party (LP) presidential candidate Manuel Roxas II yesterday accused rival bet Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte of using “legal maneuverings” to hide the truth about his bank accounts.
“You can run, Mayor Duterte, but you cannot hide from the truth. You can use all the legal maneuverings to sidestep the issue but the truth will come out. The Filipino nation will not go for a liar and a thief,” Roxas said in a press briefing at the LP headquarters in Quezon City.
“Obviously Mayor Duterte, you have something to hide. What are you hiding?” he added.
Roxas noted that Duterte once challenged his rivals to sign a waiver on their bank accounts to prove their sincerity in the fight against corruption.
“He and his runningmate Sen. Alan Cayetano were the first to sign the waiver. That was their propaganda,” Roxas said.
“Now, they shuttered the process to prevent us from knowing the truth. They used legalities to hinder us from knowing the truth,” he added.
When asked if he thinks the Duterte bank account issue is a game-changer in the upcoming polls, Roxas said: “His insults to women, his foul language, his curse at the Pope may be downplayed but corruption is a big issue to Filipinos.
“When was the last time we had someone who kills indiscriminately while stealing from us? Isn’t it similar to martial law?” he added, referring to Duterte’s admission that he had several criminals and members of drug syndicates killed.
Roxas was also glad about his steady rise in the surveys, adding that he needed only a little bit more “tumbling” to overtake his rivals and win the presidency.
During a rally at the Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center gym in Lingayen, Pangasinan, Roxas said the campaign is almost over and people have seen the candidates with ability, who have dirty or clean hands.
He said that he and his runningmate Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo started with almost zero chance of winning but little by little, with the people’s support, “from four percent it became six percent, to 18 percent and the latest survey from ABS-CBN, I already tied for second place for the presidency.”
He said this did not include yet the result of the last presidential debate, as well as late-breaking issues on hidden wealth.
He said Robredo also started with one percent, then three percent, seven, nine and the latest survey showed she was second among the vice presidential aspirants. – With Paolo Romero, Romina Cabrera, Eva Visperas, Cesar Ramirez