Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte stressed Wednesday that the criminal charges lodged against him by former senator Antonio Trillanes IV were no longer a surprise.

Trillanes sued Duterte and Mans Carpio, the husband of the latter’s sister, Vice President Sara Duterte, before the Department of Justice on Wednesday for allegedly acting in cahoots in the smuggling of 600 kilos of shabu in Valenzuela City in 2017.

Former Bureau of Customs commissioner Nicanor Faeldon and seven others were named respondents in the case.

Duterte saw the filing of charges against him as a “welcome development” as the case would finally reach the proper forum.

“Mas maganda ito dahil sa Korte ng Pilipinas ang pagdinig at hindi sa korte ng Facebook at utak ng isang trililing na sundalong kanin,” the lawmaker said. 

“This move will allow us to address these accusations through the proper legal channels, ensuring that the truth will prevail.”

Duterte lamented that the current case was similar to the purported evidence that Trillianes had already leveled against him in the past.

“I am not surprised who Mr. Trillanes has once again fooled to fund this desperate attempt to peddle this baseless story to the Filipino people,” he said.

“I have always maintained my innocence, and I am confident that the judicial process will clear my name. It is important to rely on our legal institutions rather than resorting to trial by publicity or baseless allegations,” Duterte added.

Nevertheless, Duterte said he looks forward to the resolution of the libel cases he filed against the former senator.

Trillanes said the charges were filed as a result of the 2017 investigation of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee into the issue, in which he claimed Duterte and Carpio were the “masterminds.”

He alleged that the duo was the brains behind the P6.4 billion shabu shipment that was “allowed to slip through Customs in collaboration with its Commissioner Nic Faeldon and former Presidential Adviser Allen Capuyan, who was known as the "Big Brother".