Is this possibly a smear campaign to embarrass President Duterte by claiming his Son is behind a large shipment of narcotics ($125 million in meth) from China? Kind of like hitting two birds with one stone? Duterte's war on drugs and demonizing China in the process? (Sounds like a CIA set-up?)
The son of the most brutal drug warrior president in the world has been accused of transporting $125 million in meth.
Son of World’s Most Anti-Drug President Accused of Smuggling $125M in Meth Thu, Sep 7, 2017
http://thefreethoughtproject.com/son-drug-warrior-millions-meth/
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has made a name for himself carrying out a most brutal war on drugs, publicly urging police and civilians to summarily execute drug users and dealers. This campaign of mass murder has so far claimed thousands of lives.
President Trump even called Duterte in April to praise him personally, saying, “I just wanted to congratulate you because I am hearing of the unbelievable job on the drug problem.”
What would the bloodthirsty president say if his own son, Paolo Duterte, was involved in drug dealing?
That question might be answered pending the result of a Filipino Senate investigation. While his father is hell-bent on a drug war crusade, Paolo is accused of being involved in a $125 million shipment of crystal meth from China into the port in Manila.
“Senator Antonio Trillanes, a staunch critic of the president, displayed to the Senate panel photographs of Paolo Duterte beside a businessman who was behind the shipment in which the alleged drugs were found.
The president’s son-in-law, Manases Carpio, who has also been accused of links to the May drug shipment from China, told the hearing he had no involvement…
Mr Trillanes said he had intelligence information from an undisclosed foreign country that Paolo Duterte was a member of a criminal syndicate, citing as proof a “dragon-like” tattoo with secret digits on his back.”
Paolo, who is the vice mayor of the city of Davao, denied the accusations and refused to answer questions, adding that his bank accounts were “irrelevant” to the inquiry. Trillanes said both Paolo Duterte and Manases Carpio have a hundred million pesos in bank accounts that are not reported as required.
“We can compel the opening of these accounts by having cases filed against Paolo for ill-gotten wealth because he is a public official and this is not reported in his SALN,” said Trillanes.
Paolo also refused to show the tattoo, which Trillanes says has secret digits that can be decoded by the U.S. DEA. Trillanes suggested that only someone with influence like Paolo would be able to smuggle drugs into Davao, where Paolo serves as vice mayor.
Whether Paolo is innocent or not, he gets the luxury of a formal inquiry where he can invoke a constitutional right to remain silent. Ordinary Filipinos don’t have these privileges under Rodrigo Duterte, and instead, are murdered on the spot for the suspicion of dealing drugs.
While low-level street dealers and users die by the scores in Duterte’s brutal drug war, the bigger players—such as those involved in shipping $125 million quantities of crystal meth into the country—can buy themselves protection.
The black market always fosters relationships between top drug dealers, law enforcement, and dirty politicians, as we see in the U.S., especially with Border Patrol and the Mexican drug trade. In the Philippines, it would be most profitable for someone in Paolo’s position to fill the voids being left in the drug trade as State forces wreak terror and havoc.
Power corrupts, and too often it turns out that those leaders carrying out crusades against a “moral blight” are neck deep in the target of their false outrage. Drug crusaders turn out to be enabling and profiting from the drug trade, such as the cargo ship owned by Mitch McConnell’s family that was found carrying 90 pounds of cocaine.
Rodrigo Duterte represents the dystopian culmination of the War on Drugs. What’s happening in the Philippines can happen anywhere obsessive leaders, with the backing of the majority population, use absolute power to wage war against the behavior of ingesting substances deemed illegal by the State.
And, if Paolo Duterte is found to be involved in massive drug dealing, the Duterte government will be a poignant reminder that the State’s drug war crusade serves to wipe out the competition so corrupt politicians can reap the profits of drug dealing.
Senate shown photos of Rodrigo Duterte’s son with man who was behind shipment
Philippine president’s son denies links to $125m drug shipment Thu, Sep 7, 2017,
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/asia-pacific/philippine-president-s-son-denies-links-to-125m-drug-shipment-1.3213336
Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte’s son on Thursday told a Senate inquiry he had no links to a seized shipment of $125 million (€104 million) worth of narcotics from China, dismissing as “baseless” the allegations of his involvement in the drugs trade.
Opponents of the president, who has instigated a fierce crackdown on a trade he says is destroying the country, say they believe his son Paolo may have helped ease the entry of the drug shipment at the port in Manila, the capital.
On Tuesday Mr Duterte said he had told Paolo to attend the Senate investigation if he had nothing to hide, besides advising him not to answer questions and invoke his right to keep silent.
Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte’s son on Thursday told a Senate inquiry he had no links to a seized shipment of $125 million (€104 million) worth of narcotics from China, dismissing as “baseless” the allegations of his involvement in the drugs trade.
Opponents of the president, who has instigated a fierce crackdown on a trade he says is destroying the country, say they believe his son Paolo may have helped ease the entry of the drug shipment at the port in Manila, the capital.
On Tuesday Mr Duterte said he had told Paolo to attend the Senate investigation if he had nothing to hide, besides advising him not to answer questions and invoke his right to keep silent.
“I cannot answer allegations based on hearsay,” Paolo Duterte, the vice mayor of the southern city of Davao, told the Senate.
“My presence here is for the Filipino people and for my fellow Davaoenos whom I serve,” he added, referring to the people of Davao, where his father served as mayor for more than two decades before being elected president in 2016.
Resign - The Philippine leader has repeatedly said he would resign if critics could prove any members of his family were involved in corruption.
Senator Antonio Trillanes, a staunch critic of the president, displayed to the Senate panel photographs of Paolo Duterte beside a businessman who was behind the shipment in which the alleged drugs were found.
The president’s son-in-law, Manases Carpio, who has also been accused of links to the May drug shipment from China, told the hearing he had no involvement.
Mr Duterte unleashed his bloody campaign the day he took office on June 30th last year, after promising Filipinos he would use deadly force to wipe out crime and drugs.
Police records show more than 3,800 people have died in police operations since July last year, and more than 2,100 other reported murders are linked to drugs.
Police reject activists’ allegations that they are executing suspected drug users and dealers and say officers shoot only in self-defence.
Intelligence information - Mr Trillanes said he had intelligence information from an undisclosed foreign country that Paolo Duterte was a member of a criminal syndicate, citing as proof a “dragon-like” tattoo with secret digits on his back.
Asked about the tattoo, Mr Duterte said he had one, but declined to describe it, invoking his right to privacy.
Asked by Mr Trillanes if he would allow a photograph to be taken of the tattoo and sent to the US Drug Enforcement Agency to decode secret digits, Mr Duterte said: “No way”.
He refused to respond to questions about his bank accounts, calling them “irrelevant”.
Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said the attendance of Mr Duterte and Mr Carpio “demonstrates that both gentlemen are willing and ready to face malicious allegations intended to impugn their character and credibility”.
