Trillanes must seek court permission to leave country: DOJ chief

FILE: Senator Antonio Trillanes IV (Photo: Senate of the Philippines/Facebook)

MANILA — Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said it is best for Senator Antonio Trillanes IV to seek court permission whenever he intends to leave the country, even if no hold departure order (HDO) has been handed down against him.

“Even if no hold departure order was issued by the court before he could fly to his foreign destination, he should have asked leave of court to travel,” he said.

“That’s SOP (standard operating procedure) in all criminal cases, when the accused would have to go to a place outside the jurisdiction of the courts kasi wala nang habol ang court (the court can’t run after him) if the accused is outside the jurisdiction of the Philippine territory,” he explained.

The Secretary pointed out that asking permission is “out of courtesy for the court also.”

“Because he’ll be away and the court may set hearings and he’ll not be around, so you have to inform the court that you will be outside the jurisdiction of the court,” he added.

Judge Andres Soriano of Makati City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 148 has so far issued HDO against Trillanes.

The court is handling the coup d’etat case against Trillanes, concerning his participation in the 2003 Oakwood mutiny. The Makati court has already granted the motion of Trillanes, who sought permission to go to Europe and the United States after he posted a PHP200,000 travel bond and left last Dec. 11 for Europe, where he will be travelling to the Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

The senator is expected to return to the Philippines by Jan. 11, 2019 and then fly again to the US from Jan. 27, 2019 to Feb. 10, 2019.