By William Casis | FilAm Star Correspondent

If Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio will run for president in the 2022, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV stressed that the decision was made for her by President Rodrigo Duterte.

“President Duterte knows that at the end of his term, he will be facing, left and right, several charges over spate of killings and robberies. To prevent these occurrences and protect himself and continue his happiness, he is finding ways to remain in power,” said Trillanes.

In a media briefing, Trillanes dismissed claims by Duterte-Carpio that he would run for president in 2022.

“I will not be the problem because her rivals for President would be their allies — the people around them,” said Trillanes. He pointed out that the Davao Mayor’s possible rivals would include Foreign Affairs Sec. Alan Peter Cayetano, former Sen. Bongbong Marcos and Senators Manny Pacquiao and Richard Gordon.

Trillanes cited the declaration of martial law or a revolutionary government as the President’s first option to protect himself.

“He has repeatedly said this even during the campaign period and during the last months.

That is why, he has been looking for justification for a nationwide declaration of martial law to control the entire country,” Trillanes told reporters.

With the country under martial law, Trillanes said the President can easily get rid of his critics like him without having to make a script. “He can also abolish Congress and the Supreme Court.”

“This is reflective of (the President’s) character,” further stated the opposition senator.

He said the President’s second option is chacha or federalism, “although he has no knowledge of federalism.” He said the President’s only goal here is to protect his interest under a transitory government and remain in power.

If the first and second options will not push through, Trillanes said, the President’s last option is to field his daughter as a presidential candidate but she must run first for senator in 2019.

When prodded on his sources about the President’s options to avoid prosecution and jail, Trillanes said they were based on the profiling and analyzing and the propensities of the Chief Executive aside from the information given to them by those close to the President.

He expects the President and Sara to deny what he said but Trillanes insisted it’s no longer surprising. He recalled how the President had repeatedly refuted reports that he would seek the country’s highest elective post.

He also slammed Cayetano and Presidential Assistant Bong Go whom he said are both lying.

Saying that Go’s face has been plastered in the four corners of the country and yet, Trillanes quipped, “denial to death pa rin siya.”

As this developed, opposition Sen. Leila De Lima said there is no doubt Duterte is capable of carrying out his death threat on his staunch critic Trillanes.

She noted that one more murder will not make a difference to Duterte. “The only question is if he will be stupid enough to do it.”

De Lima said, “As president of the Philippines, he believes he is now God. This is why he challenges the Catholic Church to pit the God of Christians against himself as the God of the Iglesia ni Rodrigo.”

She said, “So far, he has not yet been stupid enough. Crazy, yes, as he has already ordered the killing of thousands. But someday he might be stupid enough not to be able to recognize the difference between the assassination of a local radio commentator and an opposition senator.

“If we still wait for that time, as most in the hierarchy of the Catholic Church appear to be still doing despite the killing of priests, no one would be left behind to bring our country back from the insane vision Duterte is leading it to.”