Solons condemn inciting to sedition case vs Trillanes

FILE: Senators on Friday condemned the inciting to sedition cased filed against opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, calling it harassment against government critics. (Photo: Senate of the Philippines/Facebook)

Senators on Friday condemned the inciting to sedition cased filed against opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, calling it harassment against government critics.

Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, who branded the case as “pure political harassment,” slammed the government’s supposed double-standard when it comes to filing cases. The senator mentioned the recently dismissed charges against drug personalities Peter Go Lim and Kerwin Espinosa.

“Umamin na nga si Kerwin sa Senado na siya’y sangkot sa operasyon ng ilegal na droga sa bansa habang itong si Lim ay makailang beses nang tinukoy ni Pangulong Duterte bilang sangkot sa ilegal na droga pero naabsuwelto pa rin sila (Kerwin already admitted in the Senate that he was involved in illegal drug transactions in the Philippines, Lim has been also accused by President Duterte that he had  participation in it but they were still absolved),” Pangilinan said.

“Ang masakit nito, ang prosecutor na nag-absuwelto kina Kerwin at Peter Lim ay na-promote pa bilang judge. Ito ba’y gantimpala sa maganda niyang trabaho (What hurts is that the prosecutor who cleared Kerwin and Peter Lim was promoted to judge. Is this the reward he received for his hard work)?” he added, referring to former prosecutor and now Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Aristotle Reyes.

Pangilinan, president of the Liberal Party (LP), said that the current administration has ever since shown its “intolerance” towards criticism from the opposition and those who oppose its policies.

“This case is part of its efforts to silence and stifle dissent,” Pangilinan stressed, “It is anti-democratic and a threat to our freedoms and our democratic rights.”

The Pasay City Prosecutor’s Office yesterday, March 15, filed charges of inciting to sedition against Trillanes. The charges stemmed from a privilege speech delivered by the senator in October last year, where he said that the military might shoot President Rodrigo Duterte with M16 riffles if they find out that the president has anomalous bank transactions that hint undeclared wealth. This speech was delivered a day after the president dared the military to shoot him or overthrow him if they discover that money he has in the bank exceeds P40 million, an amount that stands in stark contrast to Trillanes’ claim that the president had bank transactions amounting to P2 billion that were not reflected in his Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN).

Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said that Trillanes cannot be sued with sedition for his remark.

“It violates the absolute parliamentary immunity for privilege speeches as established in Article IV, Section 5 of the Constitution,” Drilon said.

“Hindi rin masasabing inciting to sedition dahil binanggit lang ni Trillanes ang sinabi ni Pangulong Duterte sa military noon (It cannot be called inciting to sedition because Trillanes just mentioned what Duterte told to the military before),” he added.

Trillanes, for his part, said that he is willing to face the case lodge against him by the court.

“Hindi gaya ni Duterte na duwag humarap sa kaso, haharapin ko ito (Unlike Duterte who is scared to face cases against him; I will face this),” Trillanes said in a statement, seemingly referring to Duterte’s decision to withdraw the Philippines from the International Criminal Court (ICC).

He said it is clear that this case, which was based on his privilege speech in the Senate, was warped. Aside from having constitutionally guaranteed immunity from suit, Trillanes also explained that he was not inciting anyone to do anything.

“Kung ang pakay nito ay takutin ako para umatras ako sa pagpuna kay Duterte, well, sabi ko nga dati pa, lalo pa akong ginaganahan tumayo laban sa mali at masama (If the purpose of this is to scare me to back away from criticizing Duterte, well, as what I have said before, I am more energized to stand against what is wrong and evil),” he stressed.