The husband of Vice President Sara Duterte has taken legal action against former senator Antonio Trillanes IV, accusing him of making false statements before a House panel that he says were designed to damage the Duterte family’s reputation.
Manases Carpio filed the complaint-affidavit before the Office of the City Prosecutor in Pasig City — the jurisdiction where Trillanes originally notarized the statement in question, establishing the venue for the criminal charge.
The complaint traces back to a notarized 11-page statement Trillanes read aloud during the House justice committee’s impeachment proceedings against Vice President Duterte on April 22. In that testimony, Trillanes alleged that Carpio and his wife held joint bank accounts with a balance of P111,634,144.05 as of April 2016, and connected those funds to individuals linked to the drug trade.
Carpio flatly rejected the claims. “To reiterate, I do not have P100 million in my bank accounts. I have vehemently denied before and again deny involvement in any drugs in any way and form. I deny receiving any drug money or proceeds of drug transactions from any alleged drug personality, including one Sammy Uy,” he said in the complaint, calling Trillanes’ statements “downright false, malicious, perjurious, defamatory and pure black propaganda.”
This is not the first time Carpio has faced accusations from Trillanes. In 2017, the former senator publicly linked him and his brother-in-law Paolo Duterte to an alleged P6.4-billion drug smuggling operation. The Office of the Ombudsman dismissed those complaints the following year, citing lack of basis.
Carpio argued the pattern of accusations reflects a deliberate campaign against his family. “Evidently, respondent’s continued peddling of baseless accusations and tirades against me are nothing but intended to kill, destroy, wipe out and obliterate my and the Duterte family’s good name, honor, integrity and reputation, here and abroad,” he said.
“It is a political black propaganda poached and laden with utter lies, falsities and smear campaign, at the expense, damage and prejudice of my and the Duterte family, most especially my wife, VP Sara Duterte-Carpio. It reeks with political malice, evident bad faith and evil motive,” he added.
Trillanes had not responded to requests for comment as of the time the complaint was made public.
