ARMED Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff Carlito Galvez Jr. confirmed on Tuesday, October 2, that opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes IV had filed an application for amnesty.
Trillanes came face-to-face with Galvez during a hearing of the Senate committee of finance on the proposed budget of the Department of National Defense (DND).
DND Secretary Delfin Lorenzana was also present during the hearing.
It was the first time that the three of them came face-to-face after President Rodrigo Duterte issued the Proclamation No. 572, which declared the amnesty granted to Trillanes void and ordered the senator's arrest.
The proclamation cited two reasons-- Trillanes’ alleged failure to apply for an amnesty before the AFP and his alleged failure to admit guilt to coup d' etat and rebellion charges.
However, Galvez said Trillanes’s amnesty application were not in their repository because of some lapses but according to Colonel Josefa Berbigal, former head of the amnesty committee secretariat, she administered Trillanes’ oath.
"There were some lapses na hindi naibaba 'yung documents sa J1, which was the repository of documents kasama 'yung oath. 'Yung ano namin, 'yung papers were not brought down," Galvez said.
"So nag-apply ako (ng amnesty), sir?" Trillanes asked Galvez.
"According to Berbigal, sir, yes," the AFP chief responded.
Trillanes along with several other soldiers of the Magdalo group were charged over their involvement in the Oakwood Mutiny in July 2003, the Marine standoff in February 2006, and the Manila Peninsula Siege in November 2007, during the leadership of then President now House speaker Gloria-Macapagal-Arroyo.
In 2010, then President Benigno Aquino III granted Trillanes and the other soldiers amnesty.
However, it was cited in the Proclamation 572 that AFP’s J1, Lieutenant Colonel Thea Joan N. Andrade, said Trillanes’ amnesty application is “not available” in their office.
Earlier, Trillanes, accused Solicitor General Jose Calida of having steal his amnesty from the AFP records.
According to President Rodrigo Duterte, Calida was the one who “researched” on Trillanes amnesty which triggered the president’s order.
Trillanes earlier petitioned for the conduct of senate investigation on conflicts of interest after it has been found that Calida’s family security firms has bagged multi-million peso worth of contracts from the government. (SunStar Philippines)