Trillanes fights for his freedom
Credit to Author: JAVIER J. ISMAEL| Date: Wed, 02 Jan 2019 17:19:37 +0000
ON Aug. 31, 2018, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Proclamation 572, which revoked an amnesty given to opposition Sen. Antonio Trillanes 4th in connection with his involvement in unsuccessful attempts to overthrow the Arroyo administration.
Proclamation 572 was published in the September 4 issue of The Manila Times as a paid advertisement.
“The grant of amnesty to former [Lt. Senior Grade] Antonio Trillanes 4th under Proclamation No. 75 is declared void ab initio because he did not comply with the minimum requirements to qualify under the Amnesty Program,” the proclamation stated.
Duterte, then, ordered the Department of Justice (DoJ) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) “to pursue all criminal and administrative cases” against Trillanes in relation to the Oakwood mutiny in 2003 and the Manila Peninsula incident in 2007.
The President also ordered the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the AFP “to employ all lawful means to apprehend” Trillanes so that he can be recommitted to his previous detention facility, the PNP Custodial Center.
Trillanes holed up in his Senate office, wary of a possible warrantless arrest.
The legal effect of Duterte’s Proclamation 572, however, remains unclear, as former president Benigno Aquino 3rd’s amnesty poclamation was concurred in by Congress.
Duterte issued the proclamation nearly two months after Trillanes said the PNP removed his security detail. The PNP explained that the move was part of a “comprehensive review” of police assignments.”
In his complaint against Trillanes in the Senate ethics committee in September 2017 Sen. Richard Gordon cited Trillanes’ involvement in the 2003 and 2007 coup attempts during the Gloria Macapagal Arroyo administration as among the grounds for his removal from the Senate.
In defense of Trillanes at the time, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon called for the removal of those grounds in the complaint since Trillanes was not yet a senator in 2003, while the other incident happened in 2007.
Trillanes is one of the most vocal critics of Duterte. He filed a plunder complaint against Duterte months ahead of the 2016 presidential elections for alleged undeclared wealth, but the Ombudsman terminated its investigation in November 2017.
Trillanes has also repeatedly questioned Duterte’s policies, especially his bloody anti-drug campaign.
On September 25, a Makati court issued a warrant against Trillanes over a rebellion case following Duterte’s issuance of Proclamation 572.
Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 150 Judge Elmo Alameda ordered Trillanes’ arrest, granting the motion of the DoJ.
However, Trillanes’ petition before the Supreme Court is still pending. The high court has yet to rule on the challenge to the constitutionality of Proclamation 572.
The judge also said that Trillanes “failed to convince the court that he indeed complied with the minimum requirement” in applying for amnesty.
The senator has been out on bail since September after the Makati Court ordered his arrest for rebellion over his role in the 2007 Manila Peninsula siege.
Trillanes avoided another arrest in October this year when another Makati court junked the DoJ’s request for an arrest warrant over the senator’s role in the 2003 Oakwood mutiny.
He is also facing two cases of inciting to sedition filed by Duterte ally Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption lawyers Glenn Chong, Jacinto Paras and Manuelito Luna over two separate incidents.
The first is related to Trillanes’ privilege speech in the Senate in October 2017, where he allegedly urged soldiers to shoot the President using M60 machine guns.
The second one is based on the senator’s remarks after Duterte voided his amnesty. They claimed Trillanes sowed hatred against the President by calling him a dictator.
Trillanes was allowed to travel to the Netherlands, Spain and United Kingdom from December 11 to January 12 and the United States from January 27 to February 10 to meet different groups and attend various activities as part of his official duties.
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