Gordon to ethics panel: Arrest Trillanes’ despicable behavior

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV not only committed unparliamentary acts but also violated the law when he accused Senators Richard Gordon and Vicente Sotto III of lawyering for President Rodrigo Duterte's son and son-in-law during the Senate blue ribbon committee inquiry last week on the P6.4-billion shabu shipment that slipped past customs.

Thus, said Gordon in the 23-page ethics complaint that he filed against Trillanes on Monday night.

Gordon said Trillanes could be charged with oral defamation or slander when he said Majority Leader Sotto and committee chairman Gordon were serving as "'abogado' for Paolo Duterte and Manases Carpio.'"

He added that Trillanes could be held liable for grave or light threats when he threatened while the hearing was suspended to have the Philippine Red Cross investigated for alleged irregularities.

Gordon is the chairman of the humanitarian organization.

"These disrespectful, hostile, impertinent and irresoponsible remarks, conduct of Senator Trillanes against his colleagues in the Senate, other persons and public institutions are certainly not isolated, " Gordon alleged in his complaint.

"He is in legal parlance like a recidivist," he added.

"[Trillanes] has used the Senate as a forum, used his agenda against his enemies and to satisfy his megalomaniac desire for his own self. He is so full of himself without listening to any person in his desire for propaganda," Gordon said.

"Truly, now is the opprtune time to arrest this despicable pattern of behavior which is trifling this institution," he added.

The six grounds for the ethics complaint are as follows:

• Senator Trillanes engaged in unparliamentary acts and uttered unparliamentary language and exhibited disorderly behavior in violation of law and rules of the Senate relating to ethics, conduct, and/or demeanor during the August 31, 2017 hearing of the blue ribbon committee;
• Senator Trillanes brazenly and maliciously denounced Senator Vicente C. Sotto III and myself for allegedly trying to serve as 'abogado' for Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte and Manases Carpio;
• Senator Trillanes lies and unfairlyy and maliciously charges Senator Gordon and Senator Sotto of bias and partiality;
• Senator Trillanes unfairly and maliciously charged the members of the blue ribbon committee of bias and partiality;
• Senator Trillanes arbitrarily and capriciously used language offensive against Senator Sotto and myself by saying we were badgering the witness when, in fact, he was the one doing so; and
• Senator Trillanes openly, publicly and maliciously uttered insulting words and statements against [Gordon].

"During the 31 August 2017 Senate blue ribbon committee hearing, Senator Trillanes was heard stating 'talo ka na' twice which is considered as baiting and unparliamentaru under Section 93 and Section 94 of the Rules of the Senate," Gordon said.

"He can be heard blackmailing and threatening to expose irregularities involving the Philippine Red Cross, a revered humanitarian organization," he added.

Trillanes, a staunch critic of Duterte, wanted Paolo Duterte and Carpio invited to the hearing after text messages presented by a resource person indicated that they were involved in corruption at the Bureau of Customs.

Gordon has since announced that both individuals would be invited to the next hearing of the Senate inquiry. —NB, GMA News