MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday confirmed it was the solicitor general who triggered the review, and subsequent withdrawal, of amnesty granted to opposition Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV.
In a presidential proclamation, Duterte revoked the amnesty for Trillanes, who was involved in a failed coup 15 years ago, and ordered the lawmaker's arrest. The news broke out just before a Senate panel chaired by Trillanes started its probe into possible conflict of interest in the awarding of government contracts to the security agency owned by Solicitor General Jose Calida and his family.
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At a press conference upon his arrival from a two-nation swing, the president said Calida initiated the review of amnesty granted for the embattled senator, just like what Calida did to ousted Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, who Duterte called his “enemy.”
“Look, I am here to enforce the law. It was Calida who did all the research on Trillanes’ amnesty just like what he did to Sereno. You know, Calida is bright,” Duterte said.
“If the solicitor general said there’s a mistake and it has to be corrected, I cannot refuse,” he added.
Former President Benigno Aquino III granted the amnesty for Trillanes through a proclamation in 2010 that Congress concurred in. Duterte’s spokesman, Harry Roque, told reporters in Jerusalem last Tuesday that the amnesty was awarded as a political favor.
‘Fatally flawed’
The Department of Justice said that a study of records showed that Trillanes failed to comply with the requirements for amnesty: to fill out the application form personally and the admission of guilt on the specific crime charged.
This claim, however, was contradicted by a video showing Trillanes filing the application form.
“The power to pardon and the power to grant amnesty with the concurrence of Congress is a presidential power. It cannot be delegated to anybody else. That’s a constitutional mandate,” Duterte said.
“In the first place, the amnesty allowing his [Trillanes] release was void. Therefore his getting out of custody was also void because there was no basis. The amnesty was defective [and] fatally flawed,” he added.
Citing “privileged communication,” Calida has been silent on whether his office had a hand in the Palace’s review of amnesty granted to Trillanes. The military, meanwhile, earlier confirmed that the government’s chief legal counsel started the review of the amnesty.
Trillanes has challenged Duterte’s order to nullify the amnesty granted to him before the Supreme Court.
“It’s already at the Supreme Court. We leave it at that. If the Supreme Court would say my proclamation was null and void, then let it fall,” Duterte said. — Ian Nicolas Cigaral