By Raymund Antonio
Former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay on Tuesday strongly condemned the arrest order against opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.
Former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay
(Facebook / MANILA BULLETIN) Hilbay, a law professor in the University of the Philippines, said his arrest was a “clear political persecution to the highest level.” The Makati Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 150 issued a warrant of arrest against Trillanes for charges of rebellion. He posted a P200,000-bail. Trillanes was the second opposition senator arrested after Senator Leila de Lima, who was arrested in February 2017. De Lima is detained in Camp Crame over drug charges. “Napakaraming problema ng bansa ngunit mas nais pa ng pamahalaang ito na unahin ang pagganti sa mga kritiko nito,” Hilbay said. (The country has many problems, but the government wants to prioritize first to get back to its critics.) “Maraming mga problema ang bayan na kailangang agaran ng solusyon ng gobyerno, pero sa halip na tugunan ito, ay nilihis lang ng gobyerno ang atensiyon ng publiko,” Hilbay added. (The country’s problems need immediate solution from the government, but instead of responding to it, the government is diverting the public attention.) Hilbay, who is teaching Constitutional Law in U.P, was one of the three legal experts who joined the senator's legal team in preparation for his legal battle in the lower courts and the Supreme Court.
Former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay(Facebook / MANILA BULLETIN) Hilbay, a law professor in the University of the Philippines, said his arrest was a “clear political persecution to the highest level.” The Makati Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 150 issued a warrant of arrest against Trillanes for charges of rebellion. He posted a P200,000-bail. Trillanes was the second opposition senator arrested after Senator Leila de Lima, who was arrested in February 2017. De Lima is detained in Camp Crame over drug charges. “Napakaraming problema ng bansa ngunit mas nais pa ng pamahalaang ito na unahin ang pagganti sa mga kritiko nito,” Hilbay said. (The country has many problems, but the government wants to prioritize first to get back to its critics.) “Maraming mga problema ang bayan na kailangang agaran ng solusyon ng gobyerno, pero sa halip na tugunan ito, ay nilihis lang ng gobyerno ang atensiyon ng publiko,” Hilbay added. (The country’s problems need immediate solution from the government, but instead of responding to it, the government is diverting the public attention.) Hilbay, who is teaching Constitutional Law in U.P, was one of the three legal experts who joined the senator's legal team in preparation for his legal battle in the lower courts and the Supreme Court.