DOJ seeks Lim, Faeldon testimony in Trillanes rebellion case

Government prosecutors on Monday said they intended to present Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chairman Danilo Lim or Bureau of Corrections chief Nicanor Faeldon as witnesses in former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV's revived rebellion case.

Both former military officers, Lim and Faeldon were Trillanes' co-accused in the rebellion case over the 2007 Manila Peninsula Siege.

The case was dismissed in 2011 following the amnesty granted the accused. But Trillanes was again on trial after a local court revived the case based on a motion by prosecutors.

The government lawyers had sought the revival of the case on the orders of President Rodrigo Duterte, who voided his staunch critic's amnesty in 2018.

At the resumption of Trillanes' trial Monday afternoon, the prosecution panel from the Department of Justice informed the Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 150 of their intention to present Lim or Faeldon as their next witness during the next hearing on October 7.

Trillanes' lawyer, Reynaldo Robles, meanwhile reserved his right to object to the presentation of either witness. After the hearing, Robles admitted he was surprised by the prosecutors' manifestation.

He said there were 23 other witnesses listed by the prosecution, excluding Lim and Faeldon, and that while reservations were allowed, there needed to be "good cause" to allow them to testify.

Robles meanwhile urged Lim and Faeldon to give serious thought to whether or not they would testify.

"Kung nabuksan 'yung kaso ni Senator Trillanes ngayon, baka in the future mabuksan 'yung kaso nila at 'yung testimoniya nila sa kaso, magamit din sa kanila," explained the lawyer.

"Dapat pag-isipan siguro nitong mga akusadong ito at saka nung kanilang mga abogado kung papayag silang maging testigo sa kaso na lumalabas na may political aspect."

For her part, Assistant State Prosecutor Evee Eunice De Keyser refused to disclose whether or not the prosecution had been discussing the case with either Lim or Faeldon, or what their testimonies would contain.

"We did not ask the court to issue a subpoena because we undertook to bring them here," she told reporters.

During Monday's hearing, Robles cross-examined Assistant State Prosecutor Mary Jane Sytat, a prosecution witness who had previously testified on Trillanes, Lim, and other Magdalo soldiers walking out of a coup d'etat hearing to go to the Manila Peninsula Hotel in 2007.

Robles said after the hearing that Sytat's testimony had likely "no effect" on the case given that it was limited to court proceedings outside of the alleged rebellion in the hotel itself. — DVM, GMA News