Paras to file new case vs. Trillanes for inciting to sedition

Labor Undersecretary Jacinto "Jing" Paras is yet again set to file a fresh complaint — the third in 10 months — against Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, this time for alleged inciting to sedition connected to the lawmaker's remarks on the voiding of his amnesty.

Radio dzBB's Mark Makalalad said Paras will be suing Trillanes over his remark urging the military — in several media interviews — to observe lawful means before following Duterte's order to arrest him after the latter nullified the amnesty extended to the senator by former President Benigno Aquino III.

On August 31, Duterte signed Proclamation No. 572, which declared the amnesty extended to the opposition senator void because he failed to comply with the "minimum requirements to qualify."

The proclamation also ordered the Justice department to resume pursuing charges against Trillanes, and instructed the military and police to collar the senator. Duterte would later step back and say he would await arrest warrant from the courts.

Paras also said he would be suing Trillanes for calling the President "insane."

The former congressman said he would be lodging his complaint before the Pasay Metropolitan Trial Court either on Monday or Tuesday.

Once filed, this would be the third time in 10 months that Paras would be suing Trillanes. In May, Paras filed a complaint accusing Trillanes of grave threats for allegedly telling him, "Yayariin kita," when they crossed paths in the Senate late last month.

Paras formerly served as representative of the first district of Negros Oriental and is affiliated with the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption.

In November last year, Paras was also among several lawyers affiliated with the VACC who filed a sedition complaint against Trillanes before the Pasay City Prosecutor's Office over the senator's supposed remark to soldiers to shoot Duterte with their sub-machine guns.

This is not the first time Paras would be filing a case against an opposition senator.

Paras in September 2017 filed multiple criminal charges against Sen. Risa Hontiveros with the Ombudsman for disclosing his supposed text messages with then-Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II and for allegedly exploiting minor witnesses in the probe of Kian delos Santos’ killing.

Trillanes, reacting to the first two complaints filed against him, had earlier 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. — MDM, GMA News