Trillanes says sorry to Cayetano: It won’t happen again

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV on Monday apologized for his demeanor during a Senate panel inquiry on the rising number of drug-related killings in the country.

In a letter, Trillanes addressed his apology to fellow Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano whom he had a heated argument with over a timeslot issue during the hearing. Cayetano spent about half an hour looking into possible political motives of witness Edgar Matobato, a confessed hitman who claimed to be a member of Davao Death Squad, which Trillanes questioned.

READ: Cayetano, Trillanes clash over timeslot at Senate hearing

Trillanes turned off Cayetano’s microphone, saying the latter was out of order. The two senators were allies in last year's investigation into the corruption allegations against former Vice President Jejomar Binay.

“This is to express my apologies for my demeanor during last Thursday’s hearing of the Committee on Justice and Human Rights. It was brought about because of the intense passion and emotion of the moment. Nonetheless, it was uncalled for,” Trillanes’ letter read.

“Be assured that such incident will not happen again,” it added.

On Friday, Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III urged his colleagues to practice respect. He said members of the Senate should not taunt nor heckle a fellow senator.

Pimentel and the Senate Committee Justice and Human Rights chair Leila De Lima were also addressed in Trillanes’ letter of apology.