Move to ostracize Trillanes reflects military sentiment

“That reflects overall sentiment of the military.”
(File photo: Senate of the Philippines/Facebook)

MANILA — A unilateral declaration by a Mindanao-based group of Philippine Military Academy (PMA) graduates to ostracize Senator Antonio Trillanes IV reflects the “overall” sentiment of the military, Malacañang said on Friday.

“That reflects overall sentiment of the military,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque replied when asked to comment on the Philippine Military Academy Alumni Association Inc. (PMAAAI)-Eagle Fraternal Chapter’s declaration.

In its one-page paid advertisement published on a national daily, the PMAAAI-Eagle Fraternal Chapter has also recommended the ouster of Trillanes from the PMAAAI “for conduct unbecoming of a PMAYER and public official”.

The PMAAAI-Eagle Fraternal Chapter is an association of PMA graduates in government, military and police active service and business, industry, corporate and retirees (BIRC) sector based in Mindanao.

The group manifested that Trillanes’ actions and behavior are contrary to the Academy’s motto of courage, integrity and loyalty “thereby seriously damaging the honor and prestige of this revered institution”.

The PMA graduates have accused Trillanes, a former Navy officer, of not only repeatedly uttering seditious words against the President Rodrigo Duterte but also incited others to inflict any hate or revenge upon his person “thus committed conspiracy or proposal to commit coup d’etat for encouraging the military to rise up in arms against the President”.

They questioned Trillanes’ constant agitation and propaganda “by inciting dissension for the ouster” of Duterte.

“His blatant attack to the present administration as if he has credibility and combat experience while in the Navy defines his bad attitude, character, and evil intent, ignoring the negative effect to the country’s economic progress just to toppled down the President for his personal gain,” the group said in its declaration.

Recently, Trillanes claimed the support of some junior and senior officials in a bid to discredit Duterte’s issuance of Proclamation 572 which declared the senator’s amnesty void ab initio (from the beginning) for his failure to submit an amnesty application form and to admit his guilt for crimes of rebellion.

The group cited as another ground the two failed Trillanes-led coup attempts in 2003 and 2007 against former president and now House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Trillanes’ political ally former president Benigno Aquino III granted him amnesty but discovered recently that it was former Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, instead of Aquino, who approved the amnesty.

Gazmin’s approval made Trillanes’ amnesty null and void from the very beginning since only the President has constitutional duty to grant pardon and amnesty, Duterte’s Chief Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo said in an earlier interview.

The PMAAAI said Trillanes’ previous graft and corruption cases particularly his involvement in the controversial “pork barrel” funds and the Disbursement Acceleration Fund (DAP) funds scams during the Aquino administration.

“The anti-pork barrel coalition said the senator donated PHP10 million from his DAP funds to non-government organization that allegedly turned out to be a donor and not a recipient of donations,” stated in the PMAAAI’s declaration dated Sept. 12, 2018.

The PMA graduates also accused Trillanes of disrespect and having arrogant behavior towards senior officers and the President, and for committing his “treasonous acts” when he refused to disclose the results of his backdoor negotiations with China in 2012.

They lambasted Trillanes for promoting discontent and withdrawal of support on Duterte administration and for propagating “blatant” lies such as the senator’s claim that “PMAyers” are his growing supporters.

The group added that Trillanes’ pattern of behavior “is an obvious display of conduct unbecoming of a public official and questionable mental health, fond of creating discord and divisiveness instead of his supposed duties to create policies to establish a well-ordered society”.

They called Trillanes “a disgrace to the alma mater, a great embarrassment to its alumni and a very unworthy role model” to the Cadet Corps Armed Forces of the Philippines (CAAFP).

Trillanes, a member of PMA Marilag Class of 1995, remains at the Senate despite the government’s statement that he will not be arrested by the military and police.

Roque said Trillanes’ decision to stay at the Senate is all “drama” and for “political mileage”.