Trillanes: I hope RTC 148 judge would do the right thing

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV on Sunday expressed hopes that the judge handling the Department of Justice's bid for his arrest and hold departure order over the revived coup d'etat case against him would do the right thing.

In an interview on Super Radyo dzBB, Trillanes said that all the evidence presented by the DOJ have been debunked, and hoped Judge Andres Soriano of the Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 148 would stand for what is right.

"Sa gitna ng mga pressure, I hope maging isa si Judge Soriano sa mga taong gagawa ng tama upang makabangon ang bayan," Trillanes said.

RTC Branch 148 is hearing DOJ's motion for the arrest and hold-departure-order (HDO) on Trillanes in connection with the revived coup case against him, stemming from the revocation of the amnesty given him after leading soldiers in destabilization attempts in 2003 and 2007. 

After holding a hearing last week, and deciding to admit most of Trillanes' evidence last Friday, Judge Soriano considered the DOJ motion submitted for resolution.

Trillanes said that all the evidence the DOJ presented in the hearing were defective. "Walang testigo na nagsasabi na hindi ako nag-apply ng amnesty. Hindi mag-a-apply ang primary evidence rule sa kasong ito."

He was referring to the "lost" application form as primary evidence being invoked by the DOJ.

Last Friday, Trillanes' lawyer Reynaldo Robles said that testimonies are better evidence in court than the actual, still-missing form the senator used to apply for amnesty in 2011.

Robles added that the "best evidence rule," the principle invoked by the DOJ, does not apply to his client's case.

"Ang pinag-uusapan dito, nag-file ba o hindi, 'yung act of physical filing, so lahat ng klaseng ebidensya dapat tanggapin," said Robles.

Symbol of democracy

Asked by dzBB anchor Nimfa Ravelo why would the people care at all about his case, Trillanes said: "Sabi ng ating mga taga-suporta, ako simbolo ng demokrasya. Ako ay miyembro ng opposition. At kung makulong ako ... ng dahil sa walang kwentang paratang, lalabas na wala nang rule of law ... may erosion, o wala na ang demokrasya."

He added that if no one would dare stand against President Duterte, the country would fall into a dictatorship.

Branch 148, which then had a different presiding judge, dismissed the coup d'etat case in connection with the 2003 Oakwood Mutiny, after the senator was granted amnesty in 2011.

Branch 150, which similarly dismissed a rebellion case against the senator over the 2007 Manila Peninsula Siege, ordered his arrest last September, effectively reviving a case junked seven years ago.

Trillanes, out on bail, has sought the setting aside of the arrest order for coup, which is an non-bailable case.

The government is pursuing criminal cases against Trillanes on orders from President Duterte, who revoked the amnesty granted to the former Navy officer over his alleged failure to comply with the "minimum requirements" -- an application and an admission of guilt.

Trillanes denies the charges and at least four witnesses have come forward in court to support his claim. The prosecution's witnesses, on the other hand, said under oath last week that there are no records of amnesty applications under the 2010 grant of former president Benigno Aquino III. —LBG, GMA News