THE bulk of what Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV presented to respond to the revocation of his amnesty had been provided by his friends in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
These documents include, according to him, his ipso facto resignation dated May 2007, his statement of service and service clearance issued in July 2007, his certificate of last payment in August 2007, a resolution affirming his application for amnesty, and a standard amnesty application form that included his admission of guilt.
He said he didn’t have copies of these documents until his “friends” in the AFP provided them. “I did not have these documents. These came from friends and supporters in and outside the Defense establishment. Some of these documents came from friends, insiders in the Department of National Defense,” Trillanes said.
How those within the AFP would react to administration efforts to have him arrested after President Rodrigo Duterte voided his amnesty could trigger instability if the division within the military becomes visible.
Trillanes had been answering allegations raised by Proclamation 572, which was signed by President Rodrigo Duterte on Aug. 31, that declared the amnesty granted by former President Benigno Aquino III to him as void from the beginning for his alleged failure to admit guilt and file an application for amnesty before the Department of National Defense (DND).
The presidential order also called for his arrest, although Duterte clarified he would wait for the decision of the Makati Regional Trial Court on the motion filed by the Department of Justice for the issuance of an arrest warrant against Trillanes.
Trillanes has been living inside his Senate office since the proclamation was made known to the public. He has said some military officials are at a dilemma because of the administration’s actions. While others promise to abide by the President’s orders, there are some who believe Proclamation 572 is illegal. AFP Chief of Staff Carlito Galvez Jr. last Sunday reminded military personnel not to meddle or engage in partisan politics as he denied there was division within the ranks. “Our loyalty is to the Constitution. I command the troops to adhere to the rule of law and always obey the chain of command,” Galvez said in a statement.
But unnamed AFP members are expressing themselves on social media through posts that questioned the legality of Duterte’s proclamation as they vowed to take action to support Trillanes. What action they would take is not clear but there is the hope that stakeholders would remain true to constitutional limits. Let them be friends of the Constitution.
It would be good to look back to why amnesty was given to the likes of Trillanes. Trillanes was granted amnesty for the purpose of uniting the country and bringing the government’s critics back to the political mainstream. The move succeeded as shown in the election of Trillanes, and Gregorio Honasan, to the Senate where what they stood for could be presented and debated.
(ninicab@sunstar.com.ph)