Oakwood mutiny leader wants Trillanes to explain trips to China, money he got from Imee Marcos

Former Marine captain Nicanor Faeldon fields questions as Mayor Rodrigo Duterte listens. Photo by TRISHA MACAS, GMA News

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday tapped a former junior military officer who was among those who led the 2003 Oakwood mutiny to hit back at Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV.

Nicanor Faeldon, a former Marine captain and leader of the Magdalo group which had Trillanes as spokesman during the mutiny, joined Duterte in a media forum in Manila where he reiterated the presidential candidate's call that the senator should explain his frequent travels to Beijing before Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal was controlled by the Chinese in 2012.

Faeldon moreover alleged that Trillanes allegedly received money from Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos.

"I was about to go to Scarborough and stay there with a lot of fishermen in 2012. I am also challenging you Mr. President, you called me up twice and stopped that voyage. Eh anong nangyari sa Scarborough? That is May of 2012. That is because of you, Sonny, " he said.

Faeldon then detailed his conversation with President Benigno Aquino III.

He claimed that the President told him that Trillanes whom was referred to as "Sonny" was talking to China. He initially thought Aquino was referring to Speaker Feliciano Belmonte. Both Trillanes and Belmonte are also called Sonny.

"Hindi ko alam na eksperto na si Sonny [Trillanes] at that time in 2012 sa foreign policy. I was clueless na it was Sonny Trillanes that the President was referring to," he said.

Faeldon said that after the call, he did not push through with the initial plan.

But Trillanes and Aquino never reported what happened after, he pointed out.

"We lost Scarborough in August 2012 to China... I never heard you Mr. President and Sonny talk about these issues in China," he said.

"Mr. President and Sonny Trillanes stopped us from defending our territory. What happened? You did not give us a report of that backdoor channelling. He went to Beijing 16 times! Sonny, explain this to the people," he said.

Faeldon moreover claimed that he saw Marcos personally giving money to Trillanes when they were in detention at the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency compound along V. Luna Road near East Avenue in Quezon City 

"Doon kami sa East Avenue Pinatawag kami doon sa receiving area. 2004 ito ah. May bisita daw kami. I am clueless sino ang visitor. And then pagdating namin sa visitors area doon sa East Avenue, we were seated in a big round table — ako, Senator Trillanes, Congressman Alejandro, Captain [Gerardo] Gambala, Captain Hidalgo, Lt. [James] Layug. Dumating si madam, congresswoman Imee Marcos. Kasama niya iyong anak niya. Siguro Christian ata ang pangalan," he said. [Gov. Marcos has four sons. None was named Christian — ed.]

He said that money was even concealed in a cake box.

"Lumapit si Imee... 'Sonny, ito na ang request mo'. Inilapag iyong cake, Red Ribbon, doon sa harap namin. It was opened and nandoon ang pera. So shock ako," he narrated.

Faeldon did not specify how much was inside the box. But since then, he started dissociating himself from Trillanes.

"You're getting money from families of perceived corrupt. As early as that. Kaya pagdating doon sa selda, sinabi ko kay Sonny na, 'Sa susunod na may kausap ka, huwag mo na akong isama'," he said.

Just a diversion

Trillanes, in a statement, denied Faeldon's allegations, saying it was meant to divert the issue from Duterte's alleged hidden wealth issue.

"Hindi totoo yan. Diversion yan sa issue ng mga bilyones nya. Regarding the backdoor channel issue, naipaliwanag ko na yan in so many forums before. I was appointed as back channel negotiator by PNoy to deescalate the situation in Scarborough and I did it without surrendering our sovereignty claims. In fact, that is now the subject of our arbitration case," he said in a statement.

On allegations that he received money from Gov. Marcos, he said: "That's a lie, we were under a very strict condition in GHQ ISAFP (general headquarters, Intelligence Service-AFP). It's impossible. It's a diversion because he cannot face the 2.4 Billion issue". — APG, GMA News