Trillanes: Duterte committed 2 impeachable offenses during live TV Q&A

President Rodrigo Duterte might have committed two impeachable offenses during his televised exchange with presidential legal adviser Salvador Panelo, according to Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.

In an interview with reporters at the Senate, Trillanes was asked about Duterte's remark "encouraging" the military to "stage a mutiny or revolution" amid speculations about a planned coup against him next month.

"Actually, inciting to sedition iyon. Impeachable offense iyon," said Trillanes after emerging from a meeting with former Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno at his office.

Trillane said the second impeachable offense Duterte committed was when the latter, still during the televised tete-a-tete and citing information he got from foreign country "sympathetic to us," claimed that the Magdalo group, of which Trillanes is a key member; the rest of the political opposition; and communist rebels were conniving to oust him from Malacañang.

"Iyong sinabi niyang mayroon daw foreign government na nagbigay sa kanya ng information, that's another impeachable offense," said Trillanes.

Under the 1987 Constitution, the following are considered impeachable offenses: culpable violation of the Constitution, treason, bribery, graft and corruption, other high crimes, or betrayal of public trust.

An impeachment complaint was lodged against Duterte in 2017 but it was later dismissed by the House of Representatives. The Constitution only allows one impeachment complaint to be filed against the president every year.

Trillanes challenged Duterte to release the audio recording of the latter's supposed conversation with a communist leader which will allegedly prove the plot to oust the chief executive.

"I challenge him I will authorize you na ilabas 'yan nang walang crime sa'yo kung meron man," Trillanes told reporters.

He believed Duterte will not be able to release any as the President was just bluffing and there is no such thing.

"Believe me di n'ya ilalabas 'yan kasi wala. Andun lang sa hallucination n'ya 'yan sa kakainom n'ya ng droga. It’s a bluff. Sanay na mga Pilipino kung paano siya magsinungaling,"  he said.

"He can't be influenced by foreign government, malay mo kung anong technology ang ginawa dun, pero hindi yun kasi alam ko wala. It’s a bluff, it’s a lie.  He knows that, I know that, alam 'yan ng intelligence community.

Duterte said Tuesday that he had ordered to be declassified documents proving that the Magdalo group conspiring with the opposition and communist rebels to oust him.

"They have combined and we have the evidence, the conversation provided by a foreign country sympathetic to us. We do not have the sophistication but meron and the connection will be shown any day now. I asked that it be declassified, ipakita nila sa lahat," Duterte said. — MDM, GMA News