Former president Rodrigo Duterte wants to file a libel case against his staunchest critic, former senator Antonio Trillanes IV, for the latter's allegation that suspicious funds were funneled into the Duterte family's bank accounts.

Duterte said this after Trillanes, during the House quad committee inquiry into the drug war on Nov. 13, presented bank documents supposedly belonging to the Duterte family showing that P2.4 billion was deposited to Duterte’s and Vice President Sara Duterte’s bank account from 2011 to 2015.

Duterte, speaking to former chief presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo via phone call while Panelo was live on Tiktok late Thursday, Nov. 14, said Trillanes should just prove his claims in court.

"Tumawag ako sa iyo kasi yung kasinungalingan ni Trillanes gusto kong ikonsulta kasi (I called to consult with you Trillanes' lies because) I have to file libel cases against him... Ni isang katiting doon wala (There isn't an ounce of truth)," he said.

"Ayoko na lang magsalita basta ako mag-file ng kaso. Patunayan niya sa korte kung... puro kabulastugan na fake news (I don't want to talk about it anymore. I will just file a case. He should prove in court. He's all nonsense)," he added.

Duterte even claimed that some of his family members' names were misspelled in the documents that Trillanes showed in Congress.

The former president likewise explained why he lost his cool with Trillanes. Duterte was seen picking up his mic and acting as if he would throw it at the former senator.

"Somebody should teach him a lesson in life," Duterte said.

"Kalokohan ang pinapasok niya sa buhay niya. Panira ng ibang tao, sirain yung puri (He keeps on destroying other people's reputation), and he gets away with it," he added.

If Trillanes' claims were proven true, Duterte said he would ask his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, to step down from her post.

Meanwhile, Duterte insinuated that Trillanes is being supported by Malacañang in his attacks against his family. The Manila Bulletin tried to get Malacañang’s reaction, but it has yet to respond as of post time.

This was not the first time that Trillanes alleged that there were suspicious transactions involving Duterte's bank accounts. In 2016, Trillanes exposed the same bank account which, at one time, supposedly contained P2.4 billion. Duterte had denied this.