AFP not politicized with Trillanes amnesty case - DND spox Andolong
Published Sep 6, 2018 02:13 pm
By Francis Wakefield
Department of National Defense (DND) spokesman Arsenio Andolong assured that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is not being politicized in relation to the decision of President Rodrigo Duterte to revoke the amnesty of Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.
DND public affairs office chief Arsenio Andolong
(AP / MANILA BULLETIN) In a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, Andolong said the 125,000-strong military force adheres to the concept of the chain of command and that it is the least politicized organization in government. "We’ve always subscribed to the concept of following the chain of command. I think the AFP is the least politicized organization. It is an apolotical organization. It follows a chain of command and the commander-in-chief is the President. So dun nage-emanate lahat ng actions ng AFP (So there is where all their actions emanate)," Andolong said. "If you’re asking us kung may (if there is) motive ang (the) DND at (and) AFP to purposefully put Sen. Trillanes in jail just for the sake of politics, I don’t think that’s the case," he added. "We are following procedure. We are following the command structure and we have processes that we follow," he said. Once Trillanes is apprehended, Andolong said the senator and former Navy officer will be turned over to the custody of the military police. The DND and AFP are ready to accept him, he said. There will be no special treatment to be provided to him if he is detained at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City. Andolong said preparations have been done for the transfer of Trillanes to the AFP Custodial Center. The senator will have his own detention cell where he will stay. "I was told he will not be given special treatment although I must add na decent naman (yung) facilities (the facilities are decent), befitting an officer and a gentleman," he added. Andolong said Trillanes will be taken to the same detention facility in Camp Aguinaldo where he was detained in the past, "but we will ensure that all of his rights are protected once he is taken to custody," he said. AFP spokesman Col. Edgard Arevalo said President Rodrigo Duterte's revocation of the amnesty granted to Trillanes in connection with two attempts to overthrow the Arroyo administration effectively brings him back to his former status as a military personnel, adding that even if he has retired from the military service, he can again be subjected to court martial proceedings. "The revocation of the amnesty issued by the president "ab initio" effectively brings him back to his former status as military personnel," Arevalo said. As any active military personnel, Trillanes will be subject to military regulation including the Articles of War," he added. The proclamation read that the grant of amnesty to former LTSG Antonio Trillanes IV under Proclamation No. 75 is declared void ab initio because he did not comply with the minimum requirements to qualify under the amnesty program. As a consequence, the President has authorized his arrest and prosecution for his involvement in the 2003 Oakwood mutiny and the 2007 Manila Peninsula Hotel siege against the administration of then president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Duterte ordered the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the AFP “to pursue all criminal and administrative cases” against Trillanes in relation to the two incidents. He also directed the PNP and AFP “to employ all lawful means to apprehend” Trillanes "so he could be recommitted to the detention facility where he had been incarcerated for him to stand trial for the crimes he is charged with.” In 2010, former president Benigno Aquino issued Proclamation No. 75 granting amnesty to active and former military and policemen and their supporters involved in the Oakwood mutiny, the Marines' stand-off in 2006, and the Manila Peninsula incident. Trillanes. who was detained for seven years at the PNP custodial center pending his trial, was among the officers allowed to walk free by Aquino. Duterte's proclamation pointed out that Trillanes did not file an official amnesty proclamation form required to avail himself of the program. "There is no available copy of his application for amnesty in the records," the proclamation read. The proclamation said Trillanes "never expressed his guilt for the crimes he committed. "Despite former LTSG Trillanes IV's failure to apply for amnesty and refusal to admit his guilt, his name was nonetheless included among those granted amnesty pursuant to DND Ad Hoc Committee Resolution No. 2 approved by former Secretary of National Defense Voltaire T. Gazmin," it said. The proclamation, issued last August 31, took "effect immediately." The document, published Tuesday, September 4, in a newspaper, was later confirmed by Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra.
DND public affairs office chief Arsenio Andolong(AP / MANILA BULLETIN) In a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, Andolong said the 125,000-strong military force adheres to the concept of the chain of command and that it is the least politicized organization in government. "We’ve always subscribed to the concept of following the chain of command. I think the AFP is the least politicized organization. It is an apolotical organization. It follows a chain of command and the commander-in-chief is the President. So dun nage-emanate lahat ng actions ng AFP (So there is where all their actions emanate)," Andolong said. "If you’re asking us kung may (if there is) motive ang (the) DND at (and) AFP to purposefully put Sen. Trillanes in jail just for the sake of politics, I don’t think that’s the case," he added. "We are following procedure. We are following the command structure and we have processes that we follow," he said. Once Trillanes is apprehended, Andolong said the senator and former Navy officer will be turned over to the custody of the military police. The DND and AFP are ready to accept him, he said. There will be no special treatment to be provided to him if he is detained at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City. Andolong said preparations have been done for the transfer of Trillanes to the AFP Custodial Center. The senator will have his own detention cell where he will stay. "I was told he will not be given special treatment although I must add na decent naman (yung) facilities (the facilities are decent), befitting an officer and a gentleman," he added. Andolong said Trillanes will be taken to the same detention facility in Camp Aguinaldo where he was detained in the past, "but we will ensure that all of his rights are protected once he is taken to custody," he said. AFP spokesman Col. Edgard Arevalo said President Rodrigo Duterte's revocation of the amnesty granted to Trillanes in connection with two attempts to overthrow the Arroyo administration effectively brings him back to his former status as a military personnel, adding that even if he has retired from the military service, he can again be subjected to court martial proceedings. "The revocation of the amnesty issued by the president "ab initio" effectively brings him back to his former status as military personnel," Arevalo said. As any active military personnel, Trillanes will be subject to military regulation including the Articles of War," he added. The proclamation read that the grant of amnesty to former LTSG Antonio Trillanes IV under Proclamation No. 75 is declared void ab initio because he did not comply with the minimum requirements to qualify under the amnesty program. As a consequence, the President has authorized his arrest and prosecution for his involvement in the 2003 Oakwood mutiny and the 2007 Manila Peninsula Hotel siege against the administration of then president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Duterte ordered the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the AFP “to pursue all criminal and administrative cases” against Trillanes in relation to the two incidents. He also directed the PNP and AFP “to employ all lawful means to apprehend” Trillanes "so he could be recommitted to the detention facility where he had been incarcerated for him to stand trial for the crimes he is charged with.” In 2010, former president Benigno Aquino issued Proclamation No. 75 granting amnesty to active and former military and policemen and their supporters involved in the Oakwood mutiny, the Marines' stand-off in 2006, and the Manila Peninsula incident. Trillanes. who was detained for seven years at the PNP custodial center pending his trial, was among the officers allowed to walk free by Aquino. Duterte's proclamation pointed out that Trillanes did not file an official amnesty proclamation form required to avail himself of the program. "There is no available copy of his application for amnesty in the records," the proclamation read. The proclamation said Trillanes "never expressed his guilt for the crimes he committed. "Despite former LTSG Trillanes IV's failure to apply for amnesty and refusal to admit his guilt, his name was nonetheless included among those granted amnesty pursuant to DND Ad Hoc Committee Resolution No. 2 approved by former Secretary of National Defense Voltaire T. Gazmin," it said. The proclamation, issued last August 31, took "effect immediately." The document, published Tuesday, September 4, in a newspaper, was later confirmed by Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra.