MANILA – Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV was arrested Tuesday afternoon, hours after a Makati City regional trial court issued a warrant of arrest and hold departure order against him.
Superintendent Rogelio Simon, Makati City police chief, led the team of officers that served the arrest warrant to Trillanes for a rebellion charge in connection with the 2007 Manila Peninsula siege.
After his arrest, Trillanes was brought to the Makati City police office where he underwent booking procedure before heading to RTC Branch 150 to post a P200,000 bail set by Judge Elmo Alameda.
The arrest warrant and hold departure order were issued to Trillanes upon the request of the Department of Justice after President Rodrigo Duterte issued Proclamation No. 572 voiding the amnesty Trillanes received from then President Benigno Aquino III.
In a 22-page decision, Alameda said it was clear that Trillanes’ camp failed to present an original hard copy, a duplicate copy or even a photocopy of his amnesty application to prove that he has complied with requirements for the grant.
“As can be readily gleaned from the answers given by the counsel of Senator Trillanes, it has now become glaringly clear that the senator failed to substantiate his claim that he filed his application for amnesty,” Alameda said.
‘DEMOCRACY FAILED’
“He (Trillanes) failed to show any evidence proving that he personally accomplished and filed with the Department of National Defense Amnesty Committee his Official Amnesty Application form duly acknowledged and stamp-marked received by said office,” he added.
Trillanes told a news conference at the Senate that, while the verdict was expected, he was still dismayed since his camp already presented the needed evidence to prove he has complied with amnesty requirements.
“Wala na tayong demokrasya. Nanaig ang kadiliman at kasamaan sa ating bayan,” he said. “Kung anuman ang mangyayari sa hinaharap ay nasa kamay na ng sambayanan.”
“Ipinakita ko na ang lahat ng dapat ipakita na ako ay nag-file ng amnesty,” he added. “Dito ay pinuwersa, binaluktot ang batas kaya nag-fail ang ating demokrasya at institusyon.”
Rep. Rodolfo Alejano of Magdalo party-list, who was given the same amnesty as Trillanes, said the arrest warrant issued to the senator was an “assault to the whole Philippine justice system.”
“Natanggal na ang pagkukunwari ng administrasyong Duterte na tayo ay nasa demokrasya pa. Tayo po ay nasa isang diktaturya ngayon,” Alejano said.
‘STOP THE DRAMA’
Malacañang respects the decision of the Makati RTC and urged Trillanes to face the charge.
“The court has spoken. As the President has said, we’ll respect the decision of the judiciary,” Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said in a statement.
“Whatever Senator Trillanes has to say can be addressed to the court,” added Roque. “Let’s stop the drama by press con and allow the legal process to take its course.”
For his part Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo described Trillanes’ arrest as “karma” after the senator allegedly abused his position by “planting seeds of hate and sedition” against Duterte administration.
“The order is anchored on solid legal ground,” Panelo said. “Trillanes has to stop milking the issue and act pathetically as if he is the victim of injustice. The law of karma, as well as of the law, finally caught up with his shenanigans.”
Justice secretary Menardo Guevarra, who filed the petition for the issuance of the arrest warrant and the hold departure order, said: “It is important that court’s recognition of the case is still alive.”
The Justice department filed a similar petition at the Makati RTC Branch 148, which handled the coup d’état case against Trillanes for the 2003 Oakwood Mutiny. Coup d’état it is a non-bailable offense./PN
