Bangkok: The crime-fighting mayor favoured to win the Philippine presidential elections has denied being corrupt after allegations emerged he had more than $US4.2 million ($5.5 million) in a bank account that he had failed to declare.
Rodrigo Duterte, who continues to lead opinion polls despite rape jokes and profanity-laden speeches, admitted he had money in the account but declined to reveal how much.
"If you say ill-gotten, I have none of that," Mr Duterte, 71, told reporters as he campaigned for the May 9 election. "I've been mayor [of Davao] for 22 years. Did you see any case of corruption?"
Mr Duterte, who has been linked to vigilante death squads, built a reputation as an incorruptible scourge of crime in Davao, a southern city once known as a murder capital but now considered one of the nation's safest urban areas.
As opinion polls show Mr Duterte maintaining his lead with 33 per cent support in the country of 100 million people, outgoing Philippine President Benigno Aquino warned that the nation is again on the brink of dictatorship.
"Thirty years ago we regained our freedom, and now there is someone who acts like he would be another dictator," Mr Aquino said, referring to the popular 1986 uprising led by his late mother, Corazon Aquino, which ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
Mr Duterte's campaign manager, Leoncio Evasco, on Saturday accused Mr Aquino and the country's traditional elite of waging a "dirty tricks" campaign as the election draws near.
"They cannot stomach an outsider, one who has captivated the imagination of the people but does not come from their ranks," he said. "For the first time people have rallied behind a man, a leader, who is giving them hope."
Details of Mr Duterte's alleged bank accounts were made public by senator Antonio Trillanes, who is supporting rival presidential candidate Grace Poe, a 47-year-old US educated senator who has the support of 22 per cent of voters according to the latest polls.
The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Senator Trillanes as saying documents show Mr Duterte had bank transactions totalling $US51 million over the past nine years.
Mr Duterte's spokesman described the claim as "rubbish" but Mr Duterte later acknowledged the existence of one 2014 account with his daughter, saying it was less than the $US4.2 million that Senator Trillanes had alleged.
Under Philippine law, Mr Duterte should have declared the money in his annual declaration of assets and liabilities.
Senator Trillanes, a former navy captain who was jailed for a 2003 coup attempt, said he received the account details from informants.
"Don't tell me I didn't warn you, because we've been fooled before," said Senator Trillanes, who is running for vice-president. "We thought he was a champion, we thought he was great. But all the red flags have come out."
It remains unclear if the allegations will significantly damage Mr Duterte's campaign, which is based on his image as a strong leader who would wipe out criminals and terrorists.
Polls show his support cutting across classes and demographics.
Mr Aquino's designated successor, 58-year-old Mar Roxas, has struggled to gain traction with voters in a five-way race.
Senator Poe, who has pledged to improve education, infrastructure and government transparency, help the poor and crack down on corruption, appears to have the best chance of defeating Mr Duterte.
Although she won election as a senator in 2013 with 20 million votes, her eligibility for president was challenged by the Supreme Court on the question of whether she met a 10-year residency requirement to become president.
Hers would be a fairy-tale story if she can overtake Mr Duterte. She was abandoned as a baby in a church and was raised by movie star Fernando Poe jnr and his actress wife Susan Roces.
Her birth parents remain unknown.
