MANILA-- Manila Peninsula hotel siege leaders and 16 others have been granted to post bail for temporary freedom, an official said.

Detained senator Antonio Trillanes IV, Brigadier General Danilo Lim, and 16 others involved in the siege were charged with rebellion for leading the Manila Peninsula hotel siege in Makati City in 2007.

Makati City Regional Trial Court Branch 150 judge Elmo Alameda set the bail at P200,000 each.

However, Trillanes' lawyer, Ernesto Francisco, said they will file before the court a motion for reduction of bail to P80,000 because his clients could not afford the bail bond set.

Francisco said in a television interview that the evidence of the prosecution against his clients is weak. He said that no firearms were identified during the cross examination. "The firearms belong to the police and could have been fabricated to point the fault to my clients (Trillanes and 17 others)." (Sunnex)