Davao court denies gov’t plea to issue HDO vs. Trillanes

FILE: Trillanes said in a statement that the president should address the allegations “squarely and to stop “fooling” the Filipinos. (Photo: Senate of the Philippines/Facebook)

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV can still set foot on other countries as a Davao City court junked the motion filed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to issue a hold departure order (HDO) against the lawmaker.

In his order dated December 14 but was only made public on Tuesday, January 14, Judge Melinda Alconcel Dayanghirang of the Davao City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 54 ruled that Trillanes is not a “flight risk,” noting that the latter “voluntarily surrendered” himself by posting bail when the court issued four arrest warrants against him for libel.

“To the Court’s mind, the immediate voluntary surrender of the accused to the court upon his knowledge from media accounts of the warrants of arrest issued against him indicates that the risk of his flight or escape from this jurisdiction is highly unlikely,” the order read.

“His voluntary surrender and placing himself under the jurisdiction of the court is a demonstration of his utter respect for the legal processes of this country, it added.

The senator recently went to Europe from December 11 to January 12 for speaking engagements. This will be followed by a United States (US) trip on January 27 to February 10 to meet with officials of various groups in California, Washington D.C., and Maryland.

[READ: Makati RTC Branch 150 permits Trillanes to go overseas]

The court stressed that the said trips were supported by Senate President Vicente Sotto III  and that these were “planned and scheduled a long time” even before the cases against him were filed.

“From the viewpoint of the Court, the above trips or speaking engagements abroad cannot be equated to flight or the voluntary withdrawal by the accused in order to avoid continuance of the criminal proceedings,” Dayanghirang said.

As of writing, Trillanes is currently in Davao City, the hometown of President Rodrigo Duterte, to face libel cases filed against him by Presidential son, former Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte, and Presidential son-in-law, Manases Carpio.

The younger Duterte and Carpio’s complaint is only one of the cases that Trillanes is facing. Apart from this, the lawmaker still has pending rebellion case, inciting to sedition case, and grave threats case which was lodged against the lawmaker four days ago by the Pasay City Prosecutor’s Office.

[READ: Pasay City Prosecutor’s Office charges Trillanes with grave threats]