Calida 'elated' over SC junking of Trillanes' halt order plea vs Proclamation 572
MANILA, Philippines — Solicitor General Jose Calida, the official behind the review of the amnesty granted to Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, expressed elation over the Supreme Court's ruling that threw out the senator's plea for a halt order against President Rodrigo Duterte's Proclamation 572.
Calida, in a statement, said that the SC en banc’s action on Tuesday “acknowledged” that Duterte’s proclamation “afforded Trillanes due process.”
“Hence, the high court has found that ‘there is no extreme and urgent necessity for the Court to issue injunctive relief,” he added.
In junking Trillanes’ plea for a temporary restraining order against Proclamation 572, the SC only cited the following grounds:
- That the matters raised by Trillanes are matters of fact that can be tackled by a local trial court or, to some extent, the Court of Appeals. The SC is not a trier of fact.
- That it has “taken judicial notice” of Duterte’s pronouncement that Trillanes will not be apprehended without a court-issued warrant. It noted that the Department of Justice has filed motions before local courts and the Armed Forces has assured that it would put off court-martial proceedings pending the case on the amnesty.
Two local courts have scheduled hearings on the DOJ’s motion for the issuance of a travel ban and arrest warrant against the embattled senator on Thursday and Friday, respectively.
READ: Duterte to wait for arrest warrant vs Trillanes
For Calida, the development at the SC is a way for Trillanes to “finally man up and face charges against him for the unlawful actions he committed against the Filipino people.”
On the day that Proclamation 572 was made public, Calida was evasive on his involvement in the review of the amnesty. He said that he is invoking "privileged communication" as he is the lawyer of the Philippine Republic.
Defense chief Delfin Lorenzana later said that Calida sent a staff to check records of the amnesty granted by former President Benigno Aquino III. The solicitor general did not state a reason for looking for the documents.
The president said that he could not refuse Calida's findings as he is a “bright" man. Calida also filed the petition that removed Maria Lourdes Sereno—publicly named by Duterte as his enemy—as chief justice.
Trillanes' challenge against Proclamation 572 continues as the SC gave the respondents 10 days to answer Trillanes' petition.
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