Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, who is running for a Senate seat under the ticket of Vice President Leni Robredo and running mate Sen. Kiko Pangilinan, denied being arrogant, chalking his demeanor up to his years in the military.
In a one-minute video posted on his Facebook page, the senator laughed at a question of why politicians don’t seem to like him.
“First time kong narining yan. Akala ko parang akong Mr. Congeniality eh (That’s the first time I heard that. I thought I’m like Mr. Congeniality),” he said as he burst into laughter.
He was miffed at another question about how “arrogant” he walks.
While he found it difficult to answer the question, Trillanes said he once saw a video of him walking at the airport.
“Nakita ko, parang ang angas nga nitong maglakad (I saw and I thought this guy is walking haughtily),” he described.
READ: Trillanes is ‘Bantay ng Bayan’ in new campaign ad
But he chalked it up to his years at the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), where he took up Naval Systems Engineering and graduated cum laude with a special award in Mathematics and Physical Sciences.
“Na-mold ako (I was molded) that way. Hindi naman (It’s not) deliberate. Hindi naman ako mayabang in person, hanggang lakad na lang (I am not arrogant in person, it’s just the way I walk),” Trillanes added.
The former senator-turned-professor at the Ateneo de Manila University and the University of the Philippines is gunning for another Senate seat.
Since he stepped down in 2019, he has been President Duterte’s staunchest critic and has often traded barbs with him.
A former Navy officer who grabbed headlines when he launched an unsuccessful coup against former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Arroyo, Trillanes is called “Bantay ng Bayan" (Nation’s Guard) because of his anti-corruption stance.