President Duterte and former Senate President Enrile revived the issue of Trillanes’ role in China negotiations during the 2012 standoff.
President Rodrigo Duterte and former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile revived the issue of former senator Antonio Trillanes IV’s role in China negotiations during the 2012 standoff.
On Monday, Enrile questioned the role Trillanes had in the 2012 standoff between the Philippines and China at Scarborough Shoal.
During the President’s weekly Talk To The People briefing, Enrile said that when he’s the Senate President at that time, he told former President Benigno Aquino III to be wary of Trillanes, who at the time was conducting talks with China about the situation at the shoal.
Enrile also said that even former President Aquino probably wouldn’t have had those kinds of connections.
“Siguro kailangang malaman natin kung saan ba nanggaling yung koneksyon ni Trillanes sa Beijing. Paano siya nagkaroon ng koneksyon doon, ni mismo ako, naging guest ako ng Beijing, wala akong koneksyon na gaya ni Trillanes na ganon na pwede niyang lapitan ang mga pinuno ng Tsina? Bakit si Trillanes nagkaroon ng koneksyon na ganon? Yun ang isang misteryo na hanggang ngayon, dapat malaman kung anong sagot” he said.
READ ALSO | Trillanes to Enrile: “Check your facts Mr. Enrile”
The President, who questioned Aquino’s choice of having a “military man” conduct the backchannel talks, replied that Trillanes traveled to China “16 times”, and that during his last visit, “two days after, we lost Scarborough Shoal”.
Enrile also claimed that former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario had told then that former Philippine Ambassador to China Sonia Brady had complained that Trillanes had “bypassed” her.
Following Enrile’s statement, Trillanes took to social media to tell Enrile to “check your facts”.
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