PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday, September 11, said he has yet to sign a fresh order to arrest embattled Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, whose application for a temporary restraining order (TRO) on the voiding of his amnesty and ordering his arrest was denied by the Supreme Court.
“I have yet to sign anything, ordering the arrest or the silencing of anybody in the government, especially the critics,” the Chief Executive said, insisting that granting an amnesty to Trillanes was “totally wrong.”
“'Yun namang kay Trillanes, may nakita na mali. Mali is mali. Hindi mo talaga ma-correct iyan (On Trillanes's case, something wrong was seen. You cannot really correct it)... It is a very serious one -- rebellion. Had it succeeded, it could have overthrown the government,” he added.
Duterte's remarks came just hours after the Supreme Court refused to grant Trillanes immediate relief against the revocation of the beleaguered lawmaker's amnesty.
In a press conference, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said the executive department can now fully enforce the implementation of Proclamation 572, now that the high tribunal ruled to deny Trillanes's request for TRO.
Since there was “no legal impediment” to implement the proclamation, state forces can now freely arrest Trillanes, pursuant to Proclamation 572, Roque stressed.
“Finally, the Supreme Court has spoken. Senator Trillanes sought restrain [to] implementation of Presidential Proclamation 572. The Supreme Court denied the application for TRO. There is no legal impediment now to implement Proclamation 572. He had his day in court and he failed,” Roque said.
“Hindi po ibig sabihin 'yun [na aarestuhin kaagad] pero kung gusto, pupwede. Pero hindi po sinasabi na gagawin na. Wala ng balakid kung gustong arestuhin si Senator Trillanes (It doesn't mean [that there will be immediate arrest]. But if they want, it can be done. But it doesn't mean that it will be done. There's no more obstacle to arrest Senator Trillanes),” he added.
On August 31, Duterte signed Proclamation 572, declaring Trillanes's seven-year-old amnesty void from the very beginning for his supposed failure to file an application and admit guilt for his involvement in the failed mutinies against then president and now House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Duterte's proclamation also ordered Trillanes's arrest and the restoration of criminal and administrative cases against the former-military-officer-turned-lawmaker.
On September 6, Trillanes's camp elevated his legal battle with the presidential proclamation to the Supreme Court, challenging the constitutionality of the Chief Executive's order to void his amnesty.
In a full court session, the Supreme Court denied Trillanes's request for a TRO against Duterte's proclamation, as it noted that the Makati Regional Trial Courts (RTCs) “should be given leeway to exercise their jurisdiction to hear and resolve the pleadings/motions filed by the parties as regards the legality of Proclamation No. 572.”
Makati RTC Branches 148 and 150 will hear on September 13 and 14, respectively, Trillanes's coup d'etat case for his involvement in the 2003 Oakwood Munity and the rebellion case over the 2007 Manila Peninsula Siege.
On September 7, Roque announced that Duterte ruled out the warrantless arrest of Trillanes.
Roque reiterated that Duterte would still await the Makati courts' decision, despite the high tribunal's ruling against Trillanes.
“'Yan naman po ang deklasrasyon ng ating Presidente, hintayin natin mag-desisyon ang mga hukuman (That's the President's declaration, to wait the courts to decide),” he said.
“So habang walang desisyon ang hukuman, hindi nila pipigilan ang implementasyon ng proklasmasyon ng Presidente, ['yung Proclamation] 572. Pero sinabi rin natin na ang warrant of arrest dapat ma-issue ng regional trial court,” he said.
(So while the court has no decision yet, they will not stop the President's Proclamation 572. But we also said that there should be a warrant of arrest issued by the regional trial court.) (SunStar Philippines)