Sotto: Apology ‘honorable way out’ for Trillanes over ‘puppet’ remark

Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III on Wednesday said an apology from Senator Antonio Trillanes IV would be an “honorable way out” after his “puppet” remark against his colleagues.

“Medyo mali 'yung terms na ginagamit niya kaya nagiging offensive eh,” Sotto told reporters in a press briefing.

“[An apology] could be the honorable way out...Not the easy way out, it’s the honorable way out,” he said.

Sotto, chairman of the Senate committee on ethics, said it was unfair for Trillanes to label some of his colleagues as “puppets” and “cowards” just because they support President Rodrigo Duterte’s policies.

“'Pag ganun sinasabi mong puppet, ang Malacañang nagdidikta. Eh wala naman pakialam 'yung Malacañang sa mga resolution eh. Tsaka wala naman dinidikta eh. For example, the declaration of martial law, if you agree, puppet ka na noon? Hindi naman siguro,” he said.

Senator JV Ejercito, who earlier urged an ethics investigation of Trillanes for supposedly being “damaging” to the institution, said an apology would be the “end of story.”

“If a person apologizes, end of story kung ano man eh. Basta aminin na nagkamali, aminin na nakasakit, sa 'kin, end of story. It would be good not for me but for the institution,” Ejercito said.

“Sometimes, medyo nakakasakit 'yung ganung mga salita coming from a colleague. He knows for a fact that senators are more sensitive to the pulse of the people dahil kami ay elected nationally kaya mas maingat kami,” he added.

Trillanes earlier said that the Senate has been reduced to mere “puppets” and “cowards” as some senators refuse to investigate the alleged abuses of the Duterte administration.

“Itong Senado na dati ay ‘yan 'yung last bastion of democracy eh ngayon, wala na. Para na rin kaming mga tuta nitong administrasyon na ’to. Ni ayaw mag-imbestiga eh,” Trillanes said. —KG/KVD, GMA News