MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte’s proclamation revoking the amnesty granted to Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV had no legal basis, opposition senators said on Tuesday.
Trillanes made and completed an application for amnesty, as proven by a regional trial court’s dismissal of criminal charges against him, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said.
“The court must have found the application and grant of amnesty valid. Otherwise, the cases would not have been dismissed,” Drilon said. “Second point, we must adhere to the presumption of regularity in the performance of duty by the court.”
“Absent any clear and convincing evidence that the court did not properly perform its duties, or that the court was ill-motivated, we have to presume that the court examined closely the motion to dismiss on the ground that there was a grant of amnesty,” he added.
Drilon further said: “For all intents and purposes, there is a factual and final finding by a court of law that the amnesty was validly granted. Also, when the amnesty was granted, no crime was committed by Trillanes as it abolishes and puts into oblivion the offense itself.”
Sen. Francis Pangilinan, president of the Liberal Party, said Duterte’s proclamation was a “clear persecution [of] one of the administration’s toughest critics.”
“Proclamation 75 that granted amnesty to the senator in 2010 was concurred in by Congress. It could not be easily set aside by the whims of one man,” Pangilinan said in a statement.
“The revocation of the former’s amnesty has no justifiable basis and was only done to silence him,” Pangilinan added. “Absent our concurrence, any arrest is illegal. We urge the Armed Forces and the PNP (Philippine National Police) not to enforce an illegal arrest.”
‘DIVERSION’
For her part Vice President Leni Robredo said the proclamation was a distraction from the administration’s shortcomings.
“Ginagamit ito ng administrasyon upang ibaling ang atensyon ng publiko mula sa mga kakulungan nito sa pagtugon sa mga problemang pumipilay sa ating bayan,” Robredo said.
She added: “Walang lugar ang pamumulitika sa panahong nahaharap ang karamihan ng ating mga kababayan sa malalalim na problema tulad ng gutom, kahirapan at kakulangan ng trabaho.
“Ang mga pag-atakeng ito ay hindi lamang nagbubuhat ng pagkakawatak-watak at kawalan ng pag-asa sa ating sambayanan. Tinatapakan nito ang mga mismong demokratikong proseso na nagpapatatag at nagpapalakas sa ating bayan.”/PN
