I’m no coward, I’ll face raps — Trillanes

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV described yesterday the charges of inciting to sedition filed against him as a form of harassment by allies of the Duterte administration.

Trillanes said he was ready to face the charges unlike President Duterte, whom he called a “coward.”

He said the case was frivolous because it was based on a privilege speech he delivered at the Senate.

Under the Constitution, Trillanes said privilege speeches are protected from lawsuits.

“I never incited anyone to do anything,” he said.

“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 intent of this is to make me back down in criticizing Duterte, well, as I’ve said before, this just encourages me to all the more stand up against the wrong). Hindi gaya ni Duterte na duwag humarap sa kaso, haharapin ko ito (Unlike Duterte who is cowardly to face charges, I will face this one),” he added.

Trillanes is in Vienna, Austria to attend the “Human Rights Challenge: One Year Later, Drug War Extrajudicial Killings Continue,” a side event at the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs meeting.

A statement from detained Sen. Leila de Lima, another critic of the Duterte administration, would be read at the event.