DAVAO CITY - Former Davao Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte on Saturday rejected anew dares to bare his back following accusations of his supposed link to the narcotics trade.

In a recent viral video, a certain "Bikoy", allegedly a former member of a drug syndicate, claimed that President Rodrigo Duterte's eldest son received kickbacks from a narcotics syndicate and that he has a dragon tattoo on his back, which supposedly bears an alphanumeric code he uses for drug-linked bank transactions.

"I know what you are thinking, does he really have a dragon tattoo on his back?," Paolo said in the local dialect, addressing the crowd during a campaign rally here.

"I know you want to talk about it. I don't want to. If I respond to that crazy person, I would appear crazy, too," he said

(Kabalo ko unsa ang naa sa inyong utok, naa ba gyod na sya'y dragon tatoo sa likod? Kabalo ko mao na inyo gusto storyahan noh? Dili Ko. Patulan ko ng amawa na mura pod kog buang pareha n'ya.)

Paolo, who is running for representative of Davao City's first district in the May 13 midterm elections, earlier accused Sen. Antonio Trillanes of being behind the video.

Trillanes said he had no hand in making the videos but he congratulates the people who made them.

• Trillanes challenges Paolo Duterte to show tattoo: 'Ang dami mo pang arte'

He earlier accused the younger Duterte and his brother-in-law Manases Carpio of involvement in drug smuggling.

They faced off in a Senate hearing in 2017, where Trillanes asked Duterte to show his back tattoo, allegedly of a "colored and dragon-like figure," but the then vice mayor refused, invoking his right to privacy.

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Trillanes and Magdalo Party-list Rep. Gary Alejano recently renewed dares for the President's son to show his back.

Paolo stepped down from his office on Christmas Day in 2017 after he and his daughter, Isabelle, swapped curses and accusations on social media.

• Dad vs a 'millennial': Paolo Duterte spews vitriol at daughter's online rant

APOLOGY OVER RESIGNATION

During Saturday's campaign rally, Paolo apologized over his resignation and asked for support from voters.

"A person cannot be perfect all the time. My daughter and I fought... All your problems would pass through the vice mayor's office. If I will carry all that when I go, I would probably be dead by now. I wasn't able to bear it," he said

(Dili sa tanang panahon ang tao perpekto nagkagubot mi sa akong anak, nag-away mi alangan naa pa ng problema ninyo kamo tanan problema ninyo muagi man na og vice mayors office, kung bitbiton ko na tanan pag-uli,siguro patay na ko ron, so di na nako makaya.)

"I cried on the eve of my resignation because it hurt too much that I was a building a name in politics and in the end, if you encounter troubles with your family, you would be forced to leave your job. Why? Because you will be affected.)

(Nang gabi naghilak nako December 24, naghilak nako kay sakit kaayo ba nga muhimo ka og pangalan bisan unsa ka gidatu muhimo kag pangalan aning pulitika 'pag abot sa tumoy maproblema ka sa imong pamilya mapugos gyod kag byaan imong trabaho ngano man? Maapektuhan mo.)

Paolo's sister Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio is seeking reelection, while their younger sibling Sebastian Duterte is running unopposed as vice mayor.

Shirts and posters were distributed during the siblings' campaign rally in Barangay Matina Crossing.