I am very disappointed to this government after Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte voided the amnesty granted to Senator Antonio F. Trillanes, IV in 2011 for trying to topple the government over a decade ago.
Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra Tuesday filed for a warrant of arrest and asked a Makati court to issue a hold departure order against the senator after Duterte issued Proclamation No. 572, revoking Trillanes’ amnesty and declaring it as “void ab initio” (void from the beginning) effective immediately. The Proclamation was deemed controversial due to its timing of release, as the President was on his official visits to Israel and Jordan when the issuance has been circulated.
President Duterte voided the amnesty granted to Trllanes due to its claims that he did not comply with the minimum requirements to qualify under the Amnesty Program. It said Trillanes never admitted guilt for the coup attempts, failed to take an oath and formally apply for amnesty. The issuance also singled out only Trillanes and excluded other individuals granted amnesty for committing similar acts.
Under the same proclamation, Duterte ordered the Department of Justice and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) "to pursue all criminal and administrative cases" against Trillanes in relation to the Oakwood mutiny and the Manila Peninsula incident, which happened in 2003 and 2007, respectively. He also ordered the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the AFP "to employ all lawful means to apprehend" Trillanes so that he can be recommitted to his previous detention facility, the PNP Custodial Center.
But according to records from the Official Gazette, then-president Benigno Aquino III signed Proclamation No. 50, a general amnesty proclamation for mutineers in the 2003 Oakwood mutiny and the 2007 Manila Peninsula siege against the administration of then-president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in October 2010. He later issued Proclamation 75 in November 2010, superseding Proclamation 50. It was concurred in by both chambers of Congress in December 2010. Trillanes, who was already a senator, formally applied for amnesty in January 2011 – within the application period. He was included in the list of officers and soldiers officially granted amnesty that same month. Trillanes, in his privilege speech, showed some news clips and other documentary evidences that shows that he personally applied for amnesty and he admitted his guilt - that’s why his amnesty application has been granted and concurred by the Senate and the House before.
This act is clear in its intention - to shut down and silence the political dissenters of the Duterte administration, just what they did to Senator Leila de Lima. They fabricated charges against the fiercest critic of the President for her to be detained within the PNP Custodial Center. And it the proclamation made by the President is indeed political in nature, as it only covered Senator Trillanes while the rest of the former and reinstated members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) who applied the amnesty program of the Aquino administration were not covered by the Presidential issuance. It’s also put into question as the President cannot easily revoke an amnesty which was concurred by the Congress as the discretionary power to grant or award the amnesty is given to the Chief Executive only compared to a pardon.
Let’s hope that at then end of the day, justice will prevail over the deceit made by the persons who want to divert the people’s attention to the mistakes and disasters they made to the entire Filipino nation.
We’re with you, Senator Trillanes! Continue to fight for the Filipino people!
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