MANILA – The Court of Appeals (CA) has dismissed the rebellion case against former senator Antonio Trillanes IV, the case that was revived by a Makati City court three years ago following the revocation of his amnesty by President Rodrigo Duterte.
In a decision released on Tuesday, the appellate court’s Sixth Division said Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 150 Judge Elmo Alameda committed “grave abuse of discretion” when he reinstated the rebellion case against Trillanes.
“The respondent court committed grave abuse of discretion when, without taking ample time to pause and ponder, whether or not it retained jurisdiction, summarily and cursorily considered the Omnibus Motion upon a matter involving a criminal action that it has long-ago dismissed,” the CA said.
“It acted with grave abuse of discretion that amounted to excess of jurisdiction, thus ousting it of jurisdiction, when it shunned testimonial evidence,” the CA decision added.
Three years ago, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed an omnibus motion to revive the cases against Trillanes before the Makati RTC Branch 150 (rebellion) and Makati RTC Branch 148 (coup d’etat).
Makati RTC 148 Judge Andres Soriano previously denied the revival of the coup d’etat case, while Alameda has revived the rebellion even he dismissed it back in 2011 after Trillanes submitted a certificate of amnesty which then President Benigno Aquino III granted.
Reacting to the appellate court’s decision, Trillanes thanked the CA justices for allowing the rule of law to prevail despite “the prevailing authoritarianism” under Duterte administration.
“Today, the rule of law prevailed. Nagpapasalamat ako sa mga CA justices na gumawa ng desisyong ito. Sana all judges and justices ay may ganitong sense of justice to check the prevailing authoritarianism in the country,” Trillanes said.
Trillanes, a former Navy officer, and his Magdalo band of soldiers and junior officers occupied the Oakwood Hotel in Makati City in 2003 and the Manila Peninsula Hotel in 2007 to protest alleged corruption under then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
He was detained for seven years before he was granted amnesty in 2011 by then President Aquino. /PN
