Ethics suit filed vs. Trillanes over ‘murderer’ tag on Duterte

An ethics complaint was filed against Senator Antonio Trillanes IV for calling President Rodrigo Duterte a “murderer,” Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III said Tuesday.

Sotto, chairman of the Senate ethics panel, said the complaint was filed Monday morning by lawyer Abelardo de Jesus, the same person who filed an ethics suit against Senator Leila de Lima last year.

According to Sotto, the complaint was based on two issues: Trillanes’ bribery claim against two justices of the Court of Appeals in April 2015, and for calling Duterte a “murderer.”

“Nagbintang siya ng bribery tapos dineclare siya nang contempt…The other issue is ito yung kay President Duterte, ‘yung pagtawag ng mga murderer, ganun, kung anu-ano,” Sotto said.

“[The complainant said it is] unethical for a member of the Senate, na pag nagbibintang ka, kailangan magpakita ka ng ebidensya,” he added.

In April 2015, Trillanes accused two Court of Appeals (CA) justices of accepting P25 million each to halt Makati Mayor Junjun Binay’s suspension

More than a year later, the CA found Trillanes guilty of indirect contempt of court. As punishment, he was fined P30,000.

In September 2016, Trillanes called Duterte as “mass murderer” as he sought a Senate probe on Duterte's alleged involvement in extrajudicial killings in Davao City during his many terms there as mayor.

Sought for comment, Trillanes said: “Bring it on.”

“Sige lang, gawin na nila lahat. Kumbaga, bring it on. Game ako dyan. Handa ako dyan. Hindi ako matitinag diyan. I’ve been through a lot in my life kaya hindi ako basta-basta natitinag sa mga ganyan,” he said. —KBK, GMA News