Labor Usec. Paras files complaint vs. Trillanes over ‘grave threats’

Labor Undersecretary Jacinto Paras on Wednesday filed criminal charges against Senator Antonio Trillanes IV in connection with verbal threats he allegedly received from the lawmaker late May.

Paras, flanked by allies Lorenzo Gadon and Eligio Mallari, filed a six-page complaint for grave threats before the Pasay City Prosecutor's Office after Trillanes allegedly threatened to "finish him off."

The two officials crossed paths at the Senate on May 29, where Paras alleged Trillanes pointed to him and said, "Ang lakas ng loob mo. Hindi magtatagal ang amo mo. Matatapos din 'yan. Yayariin kita. Mersenaryo ka. Yayariin kita."

Paras believes the threat, which he said was repeated by Trillanes during their encounter, was made in connection with his sedition case against the senator. 

Paras, among other lawyers, had filed a sedition complaint, which has now reached a Pasay court, against Trillanes over the latter's supposed remark to soldiers to shoot President Rodrigo Duterte with their sub-machine guns.

"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 said in an October privilege speech.

'Yayariin kita'

Paras said he simply smiled at Trillanes' alleged threat, but that the senator, after walking away, returned and told him, "Tatawa-tawa ka pa. May araw ka din. Yayariin kita."

Paras said he told Trillanes it was his right to file a complaint, to which the lawmaker responded by again accusing him of being a mercenary.

Senator Miguel Zubiri intervened in the incident and "pacified" Trillanes, Paras said. But he encountered Trillanes again near the elevator door outside the session hall, he said, and was told, "May araw ka din. Mawawala naman ang presidente mo. Yayariin kita."

Paras attached to his complaint a copy of the video footage of the incident, which Trillanes had chalked down to a rejected handshake.

"Respondent Sen. Trillanes is also a notorious troublemaker having quarreled with a number of politicians ... And with [his] resources as a senator, and his connections with the military being a retired Navy officer, his threat against me can be easily realized by him," Paras said.

Sought for comment on the new complaint, Trillanes scored Paras' credibility.

"Walang katotohanan 'yan. Paras has the zero-credibility of a cellphone thief," he said in a statement, in reference to a theft complaint against the undersecretary for allegedly stealing Akbayan party-list representative Tom Villarin's smartphone.

"Ganun pa man, haharapin ko yan. Pero makikita natin dito na gagawin lahat ng mga alagad ni Duterte para ma-distract o ma-harass ang mga taga-oposisyon," Trillanes said. —with Amita Legaspi/KBK, GMA News