Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin has dismissed the claim of former President Rodrigo Duterte that former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV is the administration’s “new attack dog.”

“What?!” Bersamin exclaimed. “You know, it’s hard to comment on something like that.”

He said the claim was a “hallucination” of Duterte, as he denied any Palace involvement in Trillanes’ actions.

Last week, Duterte accused Trillanes of having the support of Malacañang in his attacks against the former president.

“Trillanes, it looks like he’s sponsored. He won’t make a move without... he doesn’t have money. I wonder why Malacañang... we’re not doing anything. I’m not attacking the President, but I know that Trillanes works for President Marcos,” Duterte said.

Duterte, who is running for mayor of Davao City anew in next year’s polls, made the claim in a phone call with his former legal counsel and spokesperson, Salvador Panelo, who was livestreaming the conversation on social media.

Tensions between Duterte and Trillanes escalated during the lengthy Quad Committee hearing on the war on drugs last week, when Trillanes accused the Duterte family of accepting money from drug lords.

Duterte, visibly angered, even threatened to hit Trillanes with a microphone. The former president is reportedly considering filing a libel case against Trillanes over his statements.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has said on numerous occasions his administration will not cooperate with the International Criminal Court’s investigation into the Duterte administration’s anti-illegal drug campaign.