By Genalyn Kabiling
Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV has become paranoid after claiming his house could be under surveillance, Malacañang said Tuesday.
Presidential Spokesperson Atty. Harry Roque
(Jansen Romero/ MANILA BULLETIN)
"First, it’s drama. Now it appears to be paranoia," Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said during a Palace press briefing, reacting to Trillanes’ recent statement.
Roque made clear that the government has deferred to the court to decide on the case of Trillanes. "I think it’s very clear the President has left the matter to the RTC (regional trial court) of Makati and so as the Supreme Court," he said.
Trillanes earlier said unidentified men were monitoring his house in Antipolo City since the revocation of his amnesty. The senator released a video clip taken from closed circuit television cameras outside his family home that showed a vehicle roaming the place and its driver peeking into his house.
The incident led Trillanes to believe that his house was under surveillance. The senator has been staying in the Senate since President Duterte nullified his amnesty for failure to meet its requirements.
Last week, President Duterte declared that no one was interested in arresting Trillanes, adding the senator could stay in the Senate as long as he likes.
“Nobody is interested to arrest them. The military does not have the interest. I do not have the interest. He can stay there as a boarder,” Duterte said.
Duterte added that he told the police not to arrest Trillanes without any warrant issued by the court. He noted that the military has also not constituted a court martial to try Trillanes for violating its rules.
"Wala naman order so kung walang order, huwag na ninyong pakialamanan ,” he said.
The President has issued Proclamation No 572 revoking the Department of National Defense's resolution that granted amnesty to Trillanes for two coup attempts. The amnesty has been declared "void ab initio" since the senator failed to file an application for amnesty and admit guilt for his offenses.
The President also declared the amnesty was “defective" and "fatally flawed,” saying it was approved by former Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin instead of then President Benigno Aquino III. Duterte explained that the power to grant amnesty with the concurrence of Congress was a presidential power and could not be delegated to anybody else.