Robin Padilla to prosecution: Do you know our heroes used aliases too?

Senator-Judge Robin Padilla on Wednesday defended the use of aliases in confidential activities, pointing out that even the country's heroes also used aliases during the Spanish colonial period.

On the 19th day of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, Padilla reminded private prosecutor Mae Divinagracia that heroes and revolutionaries used aliases like Dimasalang, Siling Labuyo, Tikbalang, Magdalo, and Lakambini, among others.

“Napakahalaga ng alias sa panahon ng [giyera]. Ang confidential, ang pagkilos, confidential, ay napakahalaga at hindi ginagamit ang pangalan at hindi pumipirma,” Padilla said.

(Using an alias was crucial during the war. During these confidential activities, real names and signatures were not used.)

Divinagracia, however, argued that the circumstances where the aliases were used back then were different because there was a war and the Philippines was under Spanish rule.

“First, Your Honor, I cannot comment, because I'm not sure of the circumstances surrounding their use of alias. Under the Anti-Alias Law, ina-allow naman po ang paggamit ng alias provided kailangan, nakabanggit din, naka-disclose, kung ano 'yung real name (is permitted, provided that the real name is also mentioned). So it’s not completely prohibited,” she explained.

Padilla also cited aliases allegedly used by members of the New People’s Army (NPA) in the context of armed conflict.

Divinagracia maintained that whether the use of alias is allowed or not, and whether it is necessary or not, it would be a “non-issue” for the prosecution “because that was never raised.”

“Hindi po pwedeng maging non-issue sapagkat ito po ang ipinalalabas ng prosekusyon na may mga pangalan na mga katawa-tawang pangalan. Eh mas nakakatawa po itong mga pangalan nung mga nangyari nung araw,” Padilla answered.

(It cannot be treated as a non-issue, because the prosecution is seemingly making these unusual names a laughing matter. Yet, the aliases used before were even more ridiculous.)

He also said that even late senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. used the alias “Marcial Bonifacio.”

Senator-Judge Bam Aquino affirmed that his uncle, Ninoy Aquino, used an alias when he returned to the Philippines.

“Tama po, si Ninoy Aquino po, ang kanyang alias ay Marcial Bonifacio, para makauwi siya sa Pilipinas nung nasa Boston siya. Pero wala naman ho siyang confidential funds, wala ho siya sa mga ARs (acknowledgement receipts) na confidential funds,” Aquino said.

(That's right, Ninoy Aquino, had an alias Marcial Bonifacio, so he could go home to the Philippines when he was in Boston. But he didn’t have confidential funds, his name was not on the acknowledgment receipts of confidential funds.)

Prior to Aquino’s interjection, Padilla asked Office of the Vice President (OVP) Assistant Secretary Lemuel Ortonio whether the use of an alias was appropriate when confidential funds were involved.

“As someone who does not know sir, implementations of parang mga confidential activities on the ground, hindi po ako makakasagot nang maayos sir kung pwede po ba or hindi (I cannot answer properly whether it is possible or not),” Ortonio answered.

“But I know that confidential activities are considered to be sensitive and there might be individuals or groups that need to be somehow protected because of the information that you would be getting from those people,” he added. —AOL, GMA News