Lawyers slap Trillanes with sedition, coup d'etat raps

A group of lawyers on Thursday filed inciting to sedition, proposal to commit coup d’etat and graft raps against Senator Antonio Trillanes IV before the Pasay City Prosecutor's Office for allegedly encouraging the military to kill President Rodrigo Duterte.

Named complainants were lawyers Eligio Mallari, Glenn Chong, Nestor Ifurung, Jacinto Paras, Eduardo Bringas, Nasser Marohomsalic and businessman Louis Biraogo.

The complaint stemmed from Trillanes' October 3 privilege speech where he accused Duterte of having bank transactions of more than P2 billion from 2006 to 2015.

Trillanes made no direct appeal for soldiers to kill Duterte, but merely said troops would probably have to use their M-60 machine guns against the president because of the volume of evidence proving the latter's ill-gotten wealth.

"Kung makikita ito ng mga sundalo, M-60 ang gagamitin sa'yo kasi marami-rami ito. Mauubos yung magasin, kung P40 million yung hinahanap mo," Trillanes had said.

Trillanes was reacting to a speech made by Duterte where he said anybody can shoot him if it could be proven that his lifetime savings exceeded P40 million.

"Trillanes not only repeatedly uttered seditious words or speeches (Article 142 of the Revised Penal Code) and unabatedly circulated scurrilous libels against the President (Article 142, RPC), which tend to disturb the public peace, but also repeatedly incited others to inflict any hate or revenge upon his person (Article 142, in relation to Article 139 (3), RPC; first mode of commission)," the complaint stated.

The lawyers said Trillanes violated Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (Republic Act 3019) for "irresponsibly and recklessly and continuously accusing, sans evidence," that the president is keeping over P2 billion in bank accounts and/or amassing illegally-acquired wealth.

The complainants cited the statement of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) last September denying that it provided the Office of the Ombudsman with documents and information related to its investigation on Duterte's finances.

"When the very existence of the State is in peril and the Presidency is being undermined, the Government is not powerless to contain the threat or meet the danger with everything at its disposal. After all, the first business of the Philippine government is the preservation of the State as well as the promotion of the welfare of all the people," the complaint read.

"Having endangered the life of State and its people, Trillanes should bear all the probable and logical consequences of his acts.He who is the cause of the cause is the cause of the evil caused. Dura sedlex (The law may be harsh, but it is the law)," it added. —NB, GMA News