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Saturday, June 16, 2007
Trillanes proclaimed senator
MANILA -- Detained coup suspect Navy Lieutenant Senior Grade Antonio Trillanes IV was proclaimed senator on Friday by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
With 11,138,067 votes, Trillanes was declared the 11th winner in the race for 12 Senate seats during the mid-term elections last May 14.
Pinoy Votes: Sun.Star Election 2007 Coverage
View here the list of local winners
At 35, Trillanes is the youngest member of the Senate and he also made political history by becoming the first ever detained individual to be proclaimed a member of the Senate.
Many political observers believed Trillanes's election to the Senate a protest vote against the Arroyo administration.
Trillanes, wearing a white Barong Tagalog, arrived two hours late for his proclamation because his military custodians received late a court order allowing him to attend the activity.
His handcuffs were only removed when he entered the office of Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos.
In a press briefing after his proclamation, Trillanes said his election to the Senate is a "vindication" and "absolution" for him.
Trillanes faces a coup d'etat case at the Makati City Regional Trial Court (RTC) for spearheading the short-lived Oakwood mutiny in July 2003. He is also undergoing a separate trial by a military court for violation of Articles of War.
He said his election to the Senate indicates that the people are longing for change. "I came in at the right time when people are longing for change," Trillanes added.
Trillanes said his victory "is primarily the Filipinos' victory" and that "the people have seen the light."
Trillanes, meanwhile, criticized Armed Forces Chief Hermogenes Esperon for attempting to prevent him from attending his proclamation rites.
"General Esperon tried to impose his will (on) everybody. He tried to impose his will (on) the Comelec and the court and he tried to impose his will (on) the 11 million people who voted for me. I hope he'll realize his true place in this government structure," added Trillanes.
Despite an order from the Makati RTC, the military initially stopped Trillanes from leaving Fort Bonifacio, where he is detained on coup raps, because he did not have a temporary pass.
But Trillanes's lawyer Reynaldo Robles said there was no need for a temporary pass since they have secured a court order.
Trillanes said he will ask the court to allow him to attend Senate sessions and hearings. "If not, I think the Senate can amend their rules in order to accommodate my peculiar situation," Trillanes added.
He also said he will help Senator Rodolfo Biazon, who will be heading the Senate defense committee, in investigating numerous reports of graft and corruption in the government.
Asked for his message to the administration of President Arroyo, Trillanes said "let's try to keep the mood festive."
Trillanes is the seventh candidate of the Genuine Opposition (GO) to be proclaimed senator.
Those who were proclaimed last week included GO's Loren Legarda, Francis Escudero, Manuel Villar, Panfilo Lacson, Alan Peter Cayetano and Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III; Team Unity's Edgardo Angara and Joker Arroyo; and independent candidates Francis Pangilinan and Gregorio Honasan.
Fighting for the last slot are GO's Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel (12th) and TU's Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri (13th) with only a margin of 111,561 votes.
At Malacañang, the Arroyo administration said it was up to the courts to decide if the Senate should be allowed to gain custody of Trillanes to enable him to hold office despite his coup d'etat case.
National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales said the executive branch would not wish to meddle in the issue. (MSN/JMR/Sunnex)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Zamboanga. (June 16, 2007 issue)
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