DOJ ends preliminary probe of kidnap raps vs. Trillanes, 3 others
Published Oct 22, 2019 07:25 pm
By Jeffrey Damicog
The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday (Oct. 22) concluded its preliminary investigation of the kidnapping complaint filed against former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and his co-respondents for allegedly forcing a woman to make false testimonies against President Rodrigo Duterte.
Department of Justice (MANILA BULLETIN)
During a hearing held at the DOJ, Assistant State Prosecutor Gino Paolo Santiago who conducted the preliminary investigation declared the case submitted for resolution after having received the respective counter-affidavits of the respondents.
In the complaint, Trillanes and his co-respondents have been accused of kidnapping and serious illegal detention in violation of Article 267 of the Revised Penal Code.
Aside from Trillanes, the other respondents in the case are lawyer Josue Sabio, Fr. Robert Alejo and a certain Sister Ling. Among the respondents, Alejo was allowed to file his counter-affidavit on Wednesday (Oct. 23).
The complaint was filed by the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) on behalf of Davao-based businesswoman Guillermina Lalic Barrido, also known as Guillermina Arcillas, who alleged that she was kidnapped and held against her will in December 2016 in two convents in Metro Manila unless she signs a document which made false allegations against Duterte.
Meanwhile, Trillanes asked the panel to dismiss the complaint filed against him.
In his counter-affidavit, Trillanes refuted the allegations she made in the complaint that he met her eight times in 2016 to discuss the statements she will make against Duterte.
“I have never ever met or seen Ms. Barrido before, nor have I ever spoken or in any way communicated or corresponded with her before,” read his counter-affidavit.
“The very first time I actually ‘met’ MS. BARRIDO was during the initial hearing of this case on Preliminary Investigation last October 11, 2019, at around 2:00 p.m.,” he added.
Trillanes said one of the pictures presented by Barrido as proof that they met was taken in Paris, France in June 2017 and stolen from the Facebook account of an overseas Filipino worker.
He added the other pictures she presented as evidence did not include him and mostly showed her smiling along with her companions.
“Obviously, these are not the normal, usual or expected images and demeanor of a person who is supposedly being ‘detained’ against her will or is being ‘kidnapped’, unless MS. BARRIDO can genuinely claim that she was happy to be detained. The images depicted in the pictures are clearly inconsistent with and belie her claim that she was being held against her will,” he explained.
Trillanes also said that he was in the United States in one of the alleged meetings that took place supposedly in November 15, 2016.
“It is impossible for herein Respondent Trillanes to have met MS. BARRIDO at the ‘UCC eatery’ in the MOA, which is in Pasay, on November 15, 2016 or any other date at or around said date because herein Respondent was actually abroad, specifically in the United States of America from November 6 to 26, 2016,” he stressed and even presented a certification from the Bureau of Immigration (BI) about his travel.
For his part, Sabio doesn’t believe that Barrido was abducted since he was able to meet her on December 17, 2016 at SM North EDSA to discuss the judicial affidavit she was making against Duterte. Prior this, he said he was able to visit her twice at the convent that same month.
“Ibig sabihin nakakalabas siya sa kumbento, kasi pina develop ko sa mismong cellphone niya ang mga litrato na sinasabi niya na pruweba na close siya kay Presidente (This means she can get out of the convent because I told her to print the photos in her cellphone that proves she was close to Duterte),” the lawyer told reporters.
Sabio stressed Barrido was not forced and was willing to make the judicial affidavit he assisted in making.
“Bumaliktad siya pero yung judicial affidavit niya na binigay niya sakin ay sa tingin ko credible (She may have flipped but I believe her judicial affidavit is credible),” Sabio said.
“Naka-saksi siya sa isang pagpatay ni Mayor Duterte, point-blank and close range, nagmamakaawa na huwag siyang patayin (She witnessed a man begging for his life but was still killed by Duterte when he was still mayor),” revealed Sabio.
The lawyer noted that Barrido even sent him last January 26, 2017, an e-mail of the incident which showed Duterte standing over the dead body of the person he killed.
Sabio believes Barrido wanted to get back after Alejo dropped her and decided to find another witness.
The lawyer recounted that Alejo who took her in started to doubt the truthfulness of her testimonies and even accused her of extortion.
Department of Justice (MANILA BULLETIN)
During a hearing held at the DOJ, Assistant State Prosecutor Gino Paolo Santiago who conducted the preliminary investigation declared the case submitted for resolution after having received the respective counter-affidavits of the respondents.
In the complaint, Trillanes and his co-respondents have been accused of kidnapping and serious illegal detention in violation of Article 267 of the Revised Penal Code.
Aside from Trillanes, the other respondents in the case are lawyer Josue Sabio, Fr. Robert Alejo and a certain Sister Ling. Among the respondents, Alejo was allowed to file his counter-affidavit on Wednesday (Oct. 23).
The complaint was filed by the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) on behalf of Davao-based businesswoman Guillermina Lalic Barrido, also known as Guillermina Arcillas, who alleged that she was kidnapped and held against her will in December 2016 in two convents in Metro Manila unless she signs a document which made false allegations against Duterte.
Meanwhile, Trillanes asked the panel to dismiss the complaint filed against him.
In his counter-affidavit, Trillanes refuted the allegations she made in the complaint that he met her eight times in 2016 to discuss the statements she will make against Duterte.
“I have never ever met or seen Ms. Barrido before, nor have I ever spoken or in any way communicated or corresponded with her before,” read his counter-affidavit.
“The very first time I actually ‘met’ MS. BARRIDO was during the initial hearing of this case on Preliminary Investigation last October 11, 2019, at around 2:00 p.m.,” he added.
Trillanes said one of the pictures presented by Barrido as proof that they met was taken in Paris, France in June 2017 and stolen from the Facebook account of an overseas Filipino worker.
He added the other pictures she presented as evidence did not include him and mostly showed her smiling along with her companions.
“Obviously, these are not the normal, usual or expected images and demeanor of a person who is supposedly being ‘detained’ against her will or is being ‘kidnapped’, unless MS. BARRIDO can genuinely claim that she was happy to be detained. The images depicted in the pictures are clearly inconsistent with and belie her claim that she was being held against her will,” he explained.
Trillanes also said that he was in the United States in one of the alleged meetings that took place supposedly in November 15, 2016.
“It is impossible for herein Respondent Trillanes to have met MS. BARRIDO at the ‘UCC eatery’ in the MOA, which is in Pasay, on November 15, 2016 or any other date at or around said date because herein Respondent was actually abroad, specifically in the United States of America from November 6 to 26, 2016,” he stressed and even presented a certification from the Bureau of Immigration (BI) about his travel.
For his part, Sabio doesn’t believe that Barrido was abducted since he was able to meet her on December 17, 2016 at SM North EDSA to discuss the judicial affidavit she was making against Duterte. Prior this, he said he was able to visit her twice at the convent that same month.
“Ibig sabihin nakakalabas siya sa kumbento, kasi pina develop ko sa mismong cellphone niya ang mga litrato na sinasabi niya na pruweba na close siya kay Presidente (This means she can get out of the convent because I told her to print the photos in her cellphone that proves she was close to Duterte),” the lawyer told reporters.
Sabio stressed Barrido was not forced and was willing to make the judicial affidavit he assisted in making.
“Bumaliktad siya pero yung judicial affidavit niya na binigay niya sakin ay sa tingin ko credible (She may have flipped but I believe her judicial affidavit is credible),” Sabio said.
“Naka-saksi siya sa isang pagpatay ni Mayor Duterte, point-blank and close range, nagmamakaawa na huwag siyang patayin (She witnessed a man begging for his life but was still killed by Duterte when he was still mayor),” revealed Sabio.
The lawyer noted that Barrido even sent him last January 26, 2017, an e-mail of the incident which showed Duterte standing over the dead body of the person he killed.
Sabio believes Barrido wanted to get back after Alejo dropped her and decided to find another witness.
The lawyer recounted that Alejo who took her in started to doubt the truthfulness of her testimonies and even accused her of extortion.