By Jeffrey Damicog
Solicitor General Jose Calida lauded the arrest warrant against Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and said he believes that the senator should be held liable for his participation in the 2003 Oakwood mutiny and the 2007 Manila Peninsula siege.
Solicitor General
Jose Calida
(Czar Dancel)
“Mr. Trillanes should be made accountable for his crimes against the Republic,” Calida said in a statement.
Because of this, the Solicitor General lauded the decision of the Makati City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 150, which is handling the rebellion case concerning the Manila Peninsula siege, to issue an arrest warrant and hold departure order (HDO) against Trillanes.
“The OSG (Office of the Solicitor) welcomes the Order of RTC-Makati, Branch 150 upholding the validity of Proclamation No. 572 and the subsequent issuance of a warrant of arrest and HDO against Mr. Trillanes,” he said in a statement.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) sought before the RTC the issuance of the arrest warrant and HDO after President Rodrigo Duterte issued Proclamation No. 572 which declared as “void ab initio” or void from the start the amnesty of Trillanes for having failed to comply with the requirements.
“The RTC is convinced that Mr. Trillanes: (1) did not file an application for amnesty, (2) did not admit guilt in his involvement in the Oakwood mutiny and the Manila Peninsula incident, and (3) did not recant all previous statements inconsistent with his alleged general admission of guilt,” Calida said.
Trillanes has posted a P200,000 bail before Branch 150 on Tuesday for his provisional liberty.
Aside from Branch 150, the DOJ has also sought the issuance of another arrest warrant and HDO against Trillanes before Makati City RTC Branch 148 which is handling the coup d’etat case concerning the Oakwood mutiny.