Trillanes condemns arrest of netizen who called Duterte ‘buang’

Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV on Friday denounced the arrest of a salesman who called President Rodrigo Duterte "crazy" on his personal Facebook account.

"I strongly condemn the warrantless arrest of the person who called Duterte ‘buang’ in a social media post. That is clearly illegal and against the constitutional guarantee of freedom of speech and of expression," Trillanes, a staunch critic of the President, said in a statement.

"Besides, telling the truth is never libelous," he added.

The  41-year-old Agusan del Norte  salesman was arrested by police on Wednesday for a supposedly "libelous" post against Duterte.

A public school teacher and a construction worker were also nabbed separately for offering bounties to anyone who could kill the Chief Executive.

Trillanes said the Philippine National Police should "exercise due restraint and sound judgment in the performance of their duty, especially in these trying times." — DVM, GMA News