DAVAO CITY — Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio took a swipe at the comment of Senator Antonio Trillanes IV on the resignation of Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte on Monday.
Following the vice mayor’s announcement of his resignation in a privilege speech during the special session on Monday, Trillanes released a statement saying Paolo resigned from his post to avoid investigation from the Office of the Ombudsman.
“Kana si Trillanes mema lang na. Para lang me masabi (Trillanes is mema, just to say something),” the mayor said in a press briefing on Monday.
The mayor said the investigation of the Office of the Ombudsman would not stop even if the official resigned from his post.
“It does not work that way because if you conduct an investigation you need to look for the culpable persons,” she said.
She added it does not mean that if an official resigned from his post, he would be exempted from any investigation. The mayor also bared that the vice mayor’s resignation letter dated December 26 was sent thru LBC to the Office of the President on Tuesday.
She said that her brother already mulled resigning from the position after his name was dragged into the smuggling issue in the Bureau of Customs. The plan to resign was revived after Paolo had a squabble with his daughter, Isabelle.
“I did not expect him to resign but he was already talking about it especially during the name dropping at the Bureau of Customs,” she said.
The mayor emphasized his brother wanted to protect his children and family from unfounded accusations. For now, Duterte-Carpio said his brother is on leave up to December 31 or until President Rodrigo Duterte approves the vice mayor’s resignation.
“Nothing will be final until the resignation is accepted,” she said.
The mayor said if the resignation would be accepted by the President, she would ask the Commission on Elections (Comelec) who among the three number one councilors from their three respective districts would replace Paolo.
City Council Majority Floorleader Bernard Al-ag is the acting vice mayor. (Armando Fenequito, Jr./PNA)
