PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte said there is no need for a congressional concurrence in revoking the amnesty granted to Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.
Duterte, in a press conference after his arrival from Israel at Francisco Bangoy International Airport Saturday, September 8, said that granting pardon and amnesty is a personal mandate of the President, thus, there is no need for congressional concurrence.
“Ang nakita ko kasi ganito, the power to pardon and the power to grant amnesty with the concurrence of Congress is a presidential power. It cannot be delegated to anyone else,” Duterte said.
The President also questioned the Supreme Court (SC) why an amnesty was released in the first place.
“If the SC will say that my proclamation is null and void, then let it fall,” he said, adding that the military will then be the “last call.”
He also bared that it was Solicitor General of the Philippines Jose Calida who found out that there was something wrong with Trillanes' amnesty and reviewed it.
Duterte continued that the amnesty was void from the beginning.
“In the first place, the amnesty release was void; therefore his getting out of the custody was also void,” Duterte said.
He added, “It is defective and fatally flawed. Nothing comes out from a void document.” (LHC)