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BY PRINCE GOLEZ
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Wednesday, July 5, 2017
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MANILA – Antonio Trillanes IV accused the Senate — which includes him — of being a “puppet” of the Duterte administration.
Reached for comment, some of his colleagues did not mince words in contradicting him.
Joseph Victor Ejercito on Tuesday described Trillanes’ comment as “disrespectful and unparliamentary.”
“(Trillanes) should be reminded that as a democratic institution, we in the Senate debate issues instead of hurling insults. We vote instead of calling each other names when we disagree,” said Ejercito.
He also asked the Senate ethics committee to look into Trillanes’ actions. “(Trillanes) is becoming damaging to the institution and … destructive to the country.”
The Senate remains independent from Malacañang, the senator from San Juan City stressed.
“Even when we disagree on a number of issues, we maintain our respect for one another. I hope Senator Trillanes would do the same,” he said. “I hope he will stop destroying this institution simply because he is rabidly against this administration.”
Trillanes said he respects Ejercito’s proposal for an ethics probe into him.
“But here’s the thing: if Senator Ejercito believes that my statement that the Senate is becoming a lapdog of the Duterte administration is highly offensive yet sees nothing wrong with Duterte’s rape comments to the soldiers, then we really have a problem,” said Trillanes.
Panfilo Lacson said Trillanes was “dead wrong” in his earlier comment.
“I don’t know where he is coming from and I’m not even sure if he is still rational in his thinking,” said Lacson.
He added: “(Trillanes) is so out of touch with reality, if not hallucinating too much. Calling one’s own colleagues ‘cowards’ or ‘puppets’ wholesale and without qualifying is the darnedest thing he can do.”
Vicente Sotto III warned the former Navy official to “be careful” in calling them names.
“I do not know his reasons for saying that,” the Senate majority leader said. “Hindi ko siya papatulan sa ngayon.”
Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III said Trillanes was only desperate for media attention.
“No comment. Heard that before a number of times. Why revive it just for him to be in the news?” said Pimentel.
But opposition senator Francis Pangilinan echoed Trillanes’ statement, saying, “I have seen greater independence on the part of the Senate as an institution under previous administrations.”/PN
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