by Kris Bayos
Manila Bulletin
Although President-elect Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Aquino III believes that detained Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and the other Magdalo soldiers involved in the 2003 Oakwood mutiny and the 2007 Manila Peninsula Siege are not guilty of coup d’etat and rebellion, he cannot promise them executive clemency.
A known sympathizer of Trillanes and ally of Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim, Aquino said he will respect the proceedings against the Magdalo soldiers at the Makati Regional Trial Court.
“The court is a co-equal branch of the executive. As such, mere executive action is not enough to solve the case. There is a process that has to be undergone, which we should respect,” he said in reaction to the suggestion of Senator Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel for the next administration to intervene in the Magdalo soldiers’ cases.
Pimentel reportedly urged Aquino to pardon Trillanes and the other Magdalo soldiers but the incoming president said this is premature.
“Pardon only comes after final conviction, which will still undergo the appeal processes, and there has to be a recommendation from the Board of Pardons,” Aquino said.
Still, Aquino promised to have cases against the Magdalo soldiers reviewed by the Department of Justice, believing these should have been junked at the fiscal level.
Meanwhile, Lim said he expects to get justice under the Aquino administration.
“It doesn’t matter how soon. What is important is that political prisoners like us are confident about the political atmosphere in the next six years. After all, we (Aquino and the Magdalo soldiers) are both identified with the opposition before the elections,” said Lim, who is free on bail.
In a related development, Pimentel, Jr. called on the incoming Senate to implement an already approved resolution to allow detained Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV to participate in sessions despite his incarceration.
Trillanes has yet to participate in plenary deliberations since he won the senatorial race in May 2007 mid-term elections with the mandate of 11 million Filipinos voters.
Pimentel said adverse court rulings had rendered the resolutions of the upper chamber for Trillanes unimplemented.
Pimentel said he is dismayed that the coup d’ etat charges filed against Trillanes in connection with his involvement in the failed mutiny in 2003 remain unresolved by the courts.
The outgoing senator said Trillanes should be allowed to participate even through electronic means if only to prevent his electoral mandate from being put to waste.
He also lamented the refusal of the Makati Regional Trial Court and later the Supreme Court to grant Trillanes’ petition to post bail to enable him to discharge his legislative duties.
“When Trillanes was voted by the people, he was already in detention. They were in effect telling the government, let him function as a senator,” Pimentel said.
Pimentel hopes the courts would reverse their rulings on Trillanes’ petition since Lim, a key figure in the February 2006 army standoff in Fort Bonifacio, had been allowed to go free and post bail by the courts after the May 2010 elections.
He said the Senate had passed a resolution asking judicial authorities to allow Trillanes to attend Senate sessions under heavy guard while he is undergoing court trial.
He said since the courts have refused to grant bail to Trillanes and to allow him to get out of jail on a day-to-day basis, the only recourse left is to facilitate his participation in Senate proceedings through teleconferencing and other modern means of communications.
This will allow Trillanes not only to take part in debates but also to vote on legislative measures, he said.
“It does sound unfair, if not unconstitutional, to have a duly-elected member of the Senate or any person for that matter subjected to detention for more than three years, having been restricted of his liberty and prevented from doing his duties as a legislator without any speedy relief in sight,” said Pimentel.
Pimentel said that in Japan, Canada, Netherlands, Pakistan and many other countries, legislators who are under detention for pending charges are granted permission by their respective legislatures or judicial bodies to attend sessions. (With a report from Hannah L. Torregoza)
Agree with the Senator. Vox populi!
Without pressures from Gloria, I hope the courts will decide in favor of Sen. Trillanes.
If he can’t be freed asap, let him participate already in the Senate sessions. We gave him the electoral mandate that Gloria Arroyo took away from us. Ibalik nyo sa amin!
Simple lang. The prosecution can file a motion to dismiss because there is insufficiency of evidence.
http://www.lawphil.net/judjuris/juri1993/apr1993/gr_101557_58_1993.html
It is true, that the prosecution has finished presenting its evidence. But there is nothing in the Rules that precludes a motion to dismiss at this stage.
bakit outgoing si Pimentel…natalo ba siya?
#3, i agree “Simple lang. The prosecution can file a motion to dismiss because there is insufficiency of evidence.”
obviously, gma caused continued detention of Sen Trillianes, now he will receive justice and be freed. its a nations shame that a duly elected senator remains in prison, that only happens under a oppressive regime and not in a democratic country
i heard from unverified sources that the first magdalo defense lawyer sold them out for 50 millions
Alam-na-alam naman ng lahat-lahat na Pinoy ang ” cause ” ng Magdalo soldiers, lalo na ki Sen Tony Trillanes. Sana mabigyan
na sila ng tamang hustisya sa panahon ni P-Noy admin. Also, we knew, all over the world the GMA admin,” below 50% ang rating,at marami ang di naniniwala, kaya dapat lamang na above 50%-to-90% na katutuhanan, ang siyang dapat magtagumapy, at bigyan ng hustisya ( lalo na ang 11Milyon na bumoto ki Sen. Trillanes. Sayang ang salapi ni Juan de La Cruz na ginagastos sa staff niya sa bilanguan ).Let the country fully exercise the true balance of justice, and a model Democratic form of government in Asia ( out of GREED, and jealousy of POWER ). We need to learn from the Bad and the Ugliest events of the 9-year GMA admin, it was almost,
100% nightmare from the many Filipinos, with the exception
to those who care and closed to the Palace and rewarded with
everlasting wealth. We need to wish good that P-Noy-Noy-Bi will represent the Hope for a Change.
justce for the 11 million who voted for him.set him free and let him prove his worth as a free senator.why are they so afraid of him?
tax money should not be used for this teleconference thing.baon na tayo sa utang!!!
Bakit kailangan pa ng review? Dapat palayain na silang lahat as soon as Gloria steps down on June 30. They don’t deserve to stay in jail a minute longer. The coup (if you can call that a coup) is a political crime against Gloria and her minions and not against Noynoy or against the Filipino people. PNOY should ask the DOJ/ prosecutors to withdraw the complaints against the Magdalo soldiers.
I remembered during the time of Pres. FVR (or is it Cory’s time?), he allowed the coup plotters to be released and return to barracks after doing several push-ups as punishment.
Palayain ang lahat ng bilangong politikal… marahil, isa itong kaparaang-institusyonal sa pagkakamit ng pambansang pagkakaisa… sa panawagan ni P.Noy sa pagsasakamit ng daan para sa pagbabago… sa isang maunlad na bansa na hindi umaasa sa eksportasyong-paggawa, sa ngalan ng 10M OFW!!!
Kosang Mike, nung panahon ng coup kay Cory, si FVR ang Chief of Staff, pinag push up ang punishment. At that time, hindi kasi dinala sa korte ang kaso kayo it was more of an administrative action.
Kay Trillanes nag file ng criminal case, natapos na rin ang presentation ng prosecution evidence. This time, labas na sa power ng Presidente na desisyunan ang action ni Trillanes, kaya hindi na pwedeng pakialaman ng Presidente ang kaso. Kailangan ng review para iaassess ng DOJ ang kaso at ang natitirang paraan na lang, aside from dismissal ng kaso ng judge based on demurrer on evidence, ay kung ang prosecution mismo ang hihingi ng dismissal ng kaso laban kay Trillanes.
#9 patria adorada – June 18, 2010 1:48 pm: “justce for the 11 million who voted for him.set him free and let him prove his worth as a free senator.why are they so afraid of him?”
nakatutuwa… sa komparatibo, nasaan kaya ang hustisya ng 10M Pilipino na bumoto noon kay ERAP, kung saan, ito’y binusabos sa nakaraang EDSA2? hehehehe, naglilinaw parin po.
#3 Oblak – June 18, 2010 11:46 pm: “Kosang Mike, nung panahon ng coup kay Cory, si FVR ang Chief of Staff, pinag push up ang punishment. At that time, hindi kasi dinala sa korte ang kaso kayo it was more of an administrative action.”
Iyan po ay may katotohanan; sa kaugnayan nito, ang yumaong Sen. Ninoy Aquino ay may kasong kriminal noon panahon ni Macoy, subalit ito’y pinahintulutan rin ni Macoy na makaalis sa bansa, para magpagamot, samakatuwid, marahil may kapangyarihan rin si P.NOY na temporal na palayain ang lahat ng political detainee? habang dinidinig sa korte ang mga kaso nito?
Katanungan na, kung sumang-ayon si P.NOY sa muling pag-review sa lahat ng kaso ng Magdalo? Paano na ang kaso ni GMA partikular sa isyu ng Hello Garci at ng ZTN/NBN, magpapatuloy ba itong lalamunin ng kasaysayan o si P.NOY ang muling lalamunin ng bulok ng sistema-lipunang Pilipino?
Habang nariyan ang puwersa ni GMA sa kongreso at maging sa trapos na lokal government… ang daan ng pagbabago na panawagan ni P.NOY ay mananatiling pangarap lamang.
Oblak, PNOY can ask his Justice secretary to withdraw the case and it’s so easy to do that since there’s no case (of coup-de-tat) to begin with.
It was July 1986 Manila Hotel coup led by then VP Arturo Tolentino and Marcos loyalist forces. Push-ups lang ang parusa sa mga sundalong kasapi sa kudeta.
Come to think of it, kaya nauso ang coup dito sa atin ay dahil sa coup nuong 1986 nang mag coup sina Gringo, Enrile at FVR at napatalsik ang diktador.
#14, Nasabi mo nang ibig sabihin ko,Tama ka, 90%+++…may dag-dag lang akong isang pananaw.Tungkol sa time nina FVR at
Cory A. ( silay hindi mga ESQ’s. Si GMA, ang asawa, ay ESQ, alam ang batas, kung pa-paano pahirapan ang mga kumuntra or lumaban sa kanyang asawa.Kaya nga pinilit si CJ Corona,at Doj-AGRA, para tuloy sa jail si Sen. Trillanes.Kamuntik na din si Hen. Bangit, ngunit nata-uhan sa mga sinumpaan nila , as Mestah, PMA code of military-brotherhood, na in-na ASSperon, at binastos ni Abalos-Hello-Garci-Majuga Reports )..Scripted iyan ng mga
abogados ni FGM,karmado sa “tahi sa puso”, stroke…
Kaya dahil silay di mga abogados ( FVR-CORY ), push ups na
lamang ang ginawa sa mga nag-coup o laban ki Cory admin,noon.
maybe a Department For Good Government could be created with the rank of cabinet to supervise all government agencies to ensure good governance, proper dispensation of justice, and prevention and eradication of corruption.
a president has awesome power to abolish and create, appoint and terminate, punish and reward, condemn and pardon,build and destroy, stop and continue, etc…… just by giving P1.00 budget to a very corrupt agency like PASG which was notoriously known as the extorting arm of gma will mean its dissolution already….
ano kaya kung lagyan natin ng crown of nails ang kanilang ulo? put nails around their head..o kaya alambre?
matatapos na ang administration ni putot…nalaman na ba kung sino ang dumukot kay J. Burgos? nakalimutan ko na tuloy ang pangalan na because of AZ but sa katagalan ng hustisya..si siraulo ay malapit ng mag dive 6 ft. under the ground wala pa ring kasagutan sa mga kaso…the Maguindanao Masacre..at marami pang iba..sana malaman na natin ang mga kasagutan…this I pray Oh Lord!
Pareng Oblak,
Wala ng dahilan ang prosekyusyon para ipitin pa sina Trillanes. Paalis na naman sa malakanyang ang inahing aso at asawa niyang boyba, eh. Wala ng pekeng administrasyon na magsasabing threat sa kanila ang Magdalo.
Sila na ngayon ang threat sa Konggreso. Naglisaw silang parang mga tuko sa bawat palapag ng Butasang Pambulsa.
Political prisoners sila Sen. Trillanes at ibang rebeldeng sundalo. Nakulong sila dahil ayaw ni Gloria Arroyo mabulgar ang kanyang pandarambong at pandaraya. Dapat si Gloria ang nakakulong.