MANILA - President Rodrigo Duterte is in panic mode, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV claimed Sunday, after the Chief Executive called him a "political ISIS" in an ambush interview.

In a statement, the senator accused the Duterte family anew of engaging in illegal activities and having billions of pesos in the bank.

"Si President Duterte ay nagpa-panic dahil malapit na mabunyag ang mga illegal na gawain ng kanilang pamilya. Kaya naman pala bilyon-bilyon ang pera nila sa bangko," said Trillanes.

Trillanes said presidential son Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte and the President's son-in-law Atty. Manases Carpio have been linked to the smuggling activities in the Bureau of Customs (BOC).

"Those are not my allegations but information extracted from Sen. Gordon's witnesses during the hearings," he stressed, referring to the Senate probe on the P6.4 billion shabu shipment from China.

Customs broker Mark Taguba, who was one of the witnesses in the Senate probe, already denied reports that he was linking the presidential son to the illegal activities at the BOC.

"I had never testified, nor will I ever testify that Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte and/or Atty. Mans Carpio were involved in the shipment of illegal drugs," he said through his counsel Raymond Fortun.

Meanwhile, Trillanes stressed that the younger Duterte has also been linked to illegal activities by self-confessed "Davao Death Squad" hitmen Edgar Matobato and Arturo Lascañas.

"Way back in 2007, there were derogatory reports from the NBI and the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group about Paolo Duterte's involvement in smuggling in BoC in Davao City Port," he added.

Trillanes has called for Paolo Duterte and Carpio to appear in Senate hearings and answer allegations that they accepted millions of pesos in grease money.

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President Duterte said he has advised his son to attend the Senate inquiry and invoke his right to silence if Trillanes proceeds to question him.

"Ako, ang advice ko kay Pulong, punta ka doon, then pagdating mo doon sabihin mo, 'I will not answer you, I’m invoking my right of silence kasi noong eleksiyon pa, hindi pa president ang tatay ko binibira mo na kami,'" he said.

"Si Trillanes iyong political ISIS. Walang alam, basta gusto lang bira nang bira. Akala niya tama siya. Ang nakakatawa dyan, when he talks, it’s as if talagang alam niya ang batas," he added.