Calida demands Trillanes apology for calling him a 'thief,' but senator won't give any
MANILA, Philippines — Solicitor General Jose Calida said on Wednesday that he would take Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV to court if the lawmaker would not apologize for his accusation that the solicitor general “stole” his amnesty papers.
In a statement, Calida threatened Trillanes with a libel suit unless the lawmaker apologizes for calling him a thief.
“The putschist Mr. Trillanes ranted to the media yesterday that I ‘stole’ his amnesty application document. In effect, Mr. Trillanes maliciously branded me as a thief, which I’m not,” the solicitor general said in a statement.
The embattled senator said in a press briefing on Wednesday: “I am calling for the leadership of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Department of National Defense... They know that I applied, they know that I have documents, why did they let Calida get them and lose them?”
READ: Trillanes claims Calida 'stole' his amnesty application documents
But the solicitor general retorted that there was nothing to steal when Lt. Col. Thea Joan Andrade, chief of the Discipline, Law and Order Division of the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel “issued a Certification that there is no available copy of Trillanes’ application for amnesty in records?”
Calida also said that he has never entered the offices of the J1 or the AFP’s personnel division.
“So how could I ‘steal’ documents kept there?” the solicitor general added.
President Rodrigo Duterte himself said that Calida reviewed Trillanes’ amnesty papers.
Defense chief Delfin Lorenzana, in an earlier interview, said that the solicitor general sent a staff to “research” the amnesty documents of “Trillanes and his men.”
Trillanes moved for the probe into Calida's alleged impropriety in owning stocks of a security agency that landed multi-million contracts with government agencies. Calida sought the Supreme Court to block the probe.
Trillanes: No apology for Calida
Trillanes, however, refused to apologize to Calida.
In a report by News5, Trillanes was quoted as saying: “He is in no position to demand anything. Yung buong Pilipinas alam ang katotohanan. Kung mag-file sya, gawin nya, trip nya yan (He is in no position to demand anything. The whole Philippines knows the truth. If he wants to file, go ahead. Whatever floats your boat.).”
Trillanes was arrested on Tuesday, following the warrant issued by Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 150 that revived the rebellion case against him. On the same day, the senator had posted bail for the case and returned to the Senate afterward.
The senator might also face a warrant from Makati RTC Branch 148 over a non-bailable charge of coup d’etat, but Judge Andres Soriano said that he would not be issuing a resolution on the Department of Justice's motion on Thursday.
President Rodrigo Duterte has revoked amnesty granted to Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV in 2011 in relation to his involvement in mutinies against the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2003, 2006 and 2007.
Duterte claims in Proclamation 572 that Trillanes "did not comply with the minimum requirements to qualify under the Amnesty Proclamation."
President Benigno Aquino III granted the amnesty through a proclamation in 2010 that Congress concurred in.
The amnesty proclamation covered active and former police and military personnel and "[extinguished] any criminal liability for acts committed in connection, incident or related to the July 27, 2003 Oakwood Mutiny, the February 2006 Marines Stand-Off and the November 29, 2007 Peninsula Manila Hotel Incident without prejudice to the grantee’s civil liability for injuries or damages caused to private persons."
Trillanes, a lieutenant, senior grade, at the time of the Oakwood Mutiny, applied for amnesty in 2011.
The Court of Appeals reaffirms the ruling of a Makati court judge to deny the government's appeal to arrest former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV over a revived coup d'etat case.
The CA rules that Judge Andres Soriano did not commit grave use of discretion, contrary to the claim of the Office of the Solicitor General.
"Therefore, it cannot be said that the grant of amnesty in favor of private respondent was validly revoked. As a result, the charges against private respondent in connection with the offenses "forgotten" or forgiven by the amnesty must be necessarily dropped," the CA says.
The continuation of Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV's trial for a rebellion case has been moved to May as the Court of Appeals denies his petition for a TRO against it.
The CA denied the petition for TRO for the trial at Makati RTC Br. 150 saying doing so would mean granting the main prayer without trial.
Court of Appeals denies Sen. Trillanes’ plea for TRO vs rebellion trial at Makati court. Court says issuing a halt order would mean granting prayer for main petition, without trial. The court ordered Makati Judge 150 Alameda, DOJ to comment on the senator’s plea. | @kristinepatag pic.twitter.com/PNq6iS3lSi
— Philstar.com (@PhilstarNews) March 19, 2019
The court has also directed Makati RTC Br. 150 Judge Elmo Alameda to comment on Trillanes' petition.
The rebellion case is over Trillanes' participation in the 2007 Manila Peninsula siege, for which amnesty was granted in 2011. President Rodrigo Duterte has voided the amnesty.
The Department of Justice has transmitted to the Office of the Solicitor General the order by Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 148 denying its motion for reconsideration on an earlier decision not to issue an arrest warrant for Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV over a coup d'etat case it dismissed in 2011.
The court has stood firm on its decision that Trillanes applied for amnesty and acknowledged guilt in mutinies against the Arroyo administration.
It also stood by the same decision that found that Proclamation 75, which voided Trillanes' amnesty, is legal and is within the president's powers to issue.
"We are transmitting the Joint Order for your office to consider the filing a petition for certiorari with the higher courts witin the time allowed by the Rules of court, " Senior Deputy State Prosecutor Richard Fadullon, OIC prosecutor general, says in his letter.
Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo had initially said Solicitor General Jose Calida would go straight to the Court of Appeals and not wait for the Makati court to reconsider.
The Department of Justice will file a motion for partial consideration at Makati RTC Branch 148 by Friday, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra tells reporters.
The motion will only ask the court to reconsider "only insofar as it found that sen trillanes had sufficiently shown that he filed his certificate of amnesty, and that therefore it follows that he also admitted his guilt."
The Palace had earlier said Solicitor General Jose Calida was already preparing a petition questioning the Makati court's resolution before the Court of Appeals.
Lawyer Rhodora Peralta, Makati RTC Br148 clerk of court, confirms that Judge Andres Soriano has issued a resolution on a Department Justice plea to issue a warrant of arrest against Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV.
She says they will not give out copies until parties of the case receive the resolution first.
Makati RTC Br148 Clerk of Court lawyer Rhodora Peralta confirms that Judge Andres Soriano has issued resolution, but a copy has yet to be given to parties. She said they won’t give out copies until parties of the case receive the resolution. | via @kristinepatag pic.twitter.com/Sh4NYmz0CO
— Philstar.com (@PhilstarNews) October 22, 2018
She refuses to give details on what the resolution says.
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