Trillanes files affidavit of officer who received his amnesty application
MANILA, Philippines — A Makati court has wrapped up its hearing on the Department of Justice’s motion for the issuance of a warrant and travel ban against Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV.
Trillanes’ camp on Monday filed their Rejoinder on the Prosecution’s reply before the Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 150.
During the motion hearing last September 14, Judge Elmo Alameda said that the “incidents will be deemed submitted for resolution” after Trillanes had filed their Rejoinder.
Alameda is handling the motion filed by the DOJ asking for an alias warrant and hold departure against Trillanes, as the state prosecutors argued that the rebellion case against the senator is still pending due to the voided amnesty.
The said branch of the Makati court had been hearing the rebellion case over the Manila Peninsula siege against Trillanes, but Alameda dismissed the case in 2011 pursuant to the amnesty granted by former President Benigno Aquino III.
Berbigal, Azcueta affidavits
In his Rejoinder, Trillanes attached the affidavit of Col. Josefa Berbigal where she attested that: “Among the applications for amnesty which our committee processed was that of Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, which was filed on Jan. 5, 2011.”
During the motion hearing, Reynaldo Robles, Trillanes’ lawyer, wanted a video of the senator filing the amnesty application marked as evidence.
Alameda, however, said that the video is not authenticated. Robles then said that they would try to secure an affidavit from Berbigal, who received Trillanes’ application, for the case.
In her affidavit, Berbigal stated that she “personally received” Trillanes’ application and she also asked the senator to “read the pre-printed statement contained therein making a general admission of his guilt for his alleged offenses before asking him to take his oath for the said amnesty application.”
Trillanes also filed the affidavit of Honorio Azcueta, former undersecretary of the Department of National Defense.
Azcueta said that he served as the chairman of the DND Ad Hoc Committee that processed applications for amnesty pursuant to Proclamation No. 75.
He attested that “the amnesty applications which were recommended to be for approval by the Committee, including that of Sen. Trillanes, underwent the necessary and applicable procedures set in Proclamation No. 75 and the DND Circular.”
President Rodrigo Duterte's Proclamation 572, released September 4, declared the amnesty granted to Trillanes as "void from the beginning" due to the senator's alleged non-compliance with the requirements for amnesty application.
Trillanes has taken his legal challenge against the proclamation to the Supreme Court.
Earlier on Monday, Solicitor General Jose Calida—who initiated the review of Trillanes' amnesty papers—filed the government's Comment on the petition and asked the SC to junk the senator's plea.
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