Trillanes confident military will respect Senate premises
MANILA, Philippines (Updated 10:38 a.m.) — Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV has played down talk of his impending arrest over the weekend, saying he is confident the military will stand by a supposed agreement with the Senate not to effect an arrest within the chamber's premises.
Rumos of Trillanes’ arrest started on Thursday night, but on Friday morning, the embattled senator said he is confident that that will not happen. Senate President Vicente Sotto III previously said that no arrests would be allowed on Senate premises, a position also taken by the entire chamber.
Trillanes told radio DZMM on Friday morning in Filipino: "That (arrest) is a hypothetical question. I believe, before that happens, there are processes to go through.”
“There is an agreement between the [Armed Forces of the Philippines] and the Senate leadership under [Senate president Vicente ] Sotto that no arrest will happen within the Senate premises,” he added.
Sotto, in a text message to Philstar.com, clarified there is no agreement with the Armed Forces of the Philippines or with anyone on Trillanes' arrest.
"Arresting officers as well as agitators, on the other hand, are not allowed in the premises PERIOD," he also said.
Trillanes, a former member of the Philippine Navy, said that he “believes the AFP will stay true to their commitment.”
Voided amnesty
A Manila Bulletin report on Friday morning quotes Sotto as saying in response to the rumors: [The Office of the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms] called me to say wala silang sinasabi (nobody said anything about that).”
President Rodrigo Duterte, through Proclamation 572, ordered the apprehension of one of his fiercest critics. The chief executive said that the amnesty granted to Trillanes is void from the beginning as the senator allegedly failed to comply with the requirements for the application.
Trillanes has refuted the government’s claim with documents of the Department of National Defense that listed his name as one of the applicants for the amnesty, and an AdHoc resolution saying that he has received recommendation for the approval of amnesty.
Amnesty, as defined by the Supreme Court, is an act that “looks backward, and abolishes and puts into oblivion, the offense itself.”
The amnesty was also cited by Makati Regional Trial Court branches 148 and 150 for dismissing the coup d’etat and rebellion cases, respectively, against Trillanes.
READ: Guevarra: Police have to wait for warrant before arresting Trillanes
Supporters troop to Senate
On Thursday night, Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan called on “friends and supporters who value democracy to come to the Senate and show their support” to Trillanes.
He added: “our presence there will hopefully make those effecting the illegal arrest to think twice.”
Early Friday morning, supporters poured in the Senate.
State prosecutors have failed to secure a warrant against Trillanes from the Makati court handling a coup d'etat case against Trillanes and others, a case that the senator and a court document say has been dismissed.
RELATED: A duel of documents: DOJ, Trillanes cite different rulings
A hearing, instead, was set on September 13.
Palace: Court martial can have Trillanes arrested
But the Palace insisted that Trillanes can still be arrested by the court martial, despite Trillanes’ resignation from service in 2007.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said: “As to the fact that Senator Trillanes resigned from military service, the act of resignation does not undo the violations of the Articles of War that he committed while he was in military service.”
Trillanes has also taken his case to the Supreme Court on Thursday.
The senator said that he will be staying at the Senate over the weekend, following the advice of his lawyers and the Senate leadership. — Kristine Joy Patag
- Latest
- Trending
