DOLE Usec files complaint vs Trillanes for alleged grave threats

Paras’s narration said that he only smiled at Trillanes’s words, to which the senator repeated his threat of “ending him.” (Photo: PTV/Twitter)

Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Undersecretary Jacinto “Jing” Paras filed criminal complaints against Senator Antonio Trillanes IV for his alleged verbal attacks.

According to Paras, the Senator threatened him on May 29 during a break from a Senate session, which prompted him to file grave threats complaint against Trillanes before the Pasay City Prosecutor’s Office.

“Sabi niya ‘Yayariin kita. Ang lakas ng loob mo! ‘Yung amo mo matatapos din ‘yan at yayariin kita. Mersenaryo ka. Yayariin kita (He said ‘I will end you. You have the guts! Your boss will end and I will end you. You are a mercenary. I will end you),’” the undersecretary told the media on June 6, 2018.

Paras’s narration said that he only smiled at Trillanes’s words, to which the senator repeated his threat of “ending him.”

He further said that Senator Miguel Zubiri interfered between the two and calmed down his co-senator. However, Paras crossed paths with Trillanes again near the elevator and received the same threat.

The Labor Undersecretary and former Negros Oriental representative also labeled Trillanes as a “notorious troublemaker” after quarreling with a lot of politicians.

“And with resources as a senator and his connections with the military being a retired Navy officer, his threat against me can be easily realized by him,” he cited in his six-page complaint.

Trillanes in a statement hours later the filing of complaint denied Paras’s allegations.

“Walang katotohanan ‘yan (There is no truth in that). Paras has the zero-capability of a cellphone thief,” he said.

Trillanes was referring to the complaint filed by Akbayan party-list Representative Tom Villarin against Paras for allegedly stealing his phone during a House of Representatives session back in March. Paras has denied the allegation.

The respondent senator said that this is some form of harassment by the allies of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.

“Ganun pa man, haharapin ko ‘yan. Pero makikita natin dito na gagawin lahat ng mga alagad ni Duterte para ma-distract o ma-harass ang mga taga-oposisyon (However if that is the case, I will face it. But we see in this situation that Duterte’s allies will really do anything to distract and harass those from the opposition),” Trillanes added.

This is not the first time for Paras to file a complaint against Trillanes as he was one of the four lawyers who filed cases of graft, inciting to sedition, and proposal to commit coup d’etat against the Senator in November.