Trillanes back to work Monday to go after admin officials involved in ‘anomalies’
MANILA, Philippines — Just before he went home after being holed up in his office in the Senate since President Rodrigo Duterte’s order to void his amnesty, opposition Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV said he’ll resume work on Monday to pursue congressional investigations into key administration officials.
The Department of Justice said a review of records showed that Trillanes, who was involved in a failed coup 15 years ago, fell short of the minimum requirements, including personally filling out his application form and admitting his guilt.
The embattled senator has challenged Duterte’s order before the Supreme Court.
Trillanes finally went home Saturday morning after a Makati Court judge deferred the issuance of a warrant of arrest and hold departure order against him. He was under the Senate’s protection for almost a month.
Speaking to reporters, Trillanes said he will follow-through on pending resolutions calling for probes into “anomalies” that allegedly involve officials of the Duterte administration.
The embattled lawmaker also accused Duterte of make-believing his contempt for narcotics so he can continue his supposed involvement in the country’s illegal drugs trade without attracting suspicions.
“In due time, the truth will come out for the Filipino people to see,” Trillanes said in a mix of English and Filipino. “So we will focus on that.”
Trillanes, a former military serviceman, has accused Duterte of concealing unexplained wealth. He has also urged the International Criminal Court to prosecute the Philippine leader over alleged crimes against humanity for unleashing a lethal drug war.
In a presidential proclamation, Duterte revoked the amnesty for Trillanes and ordered the lawmaker's arrest.
The news broke just before a Senate panel chaired by Trillanes started its probe into possible conflict of interest in the awarding of lucrative government contracts to the security agency owned by Solicitor General Jose Calida and his family.
Early this month, Trillanes filed a resolution directing the Senate civil service committee to look into government contracts bagged by firms owned by relatives of presidential aide Christopher "Bong" Go.
At a Senate hearing a year ago, Trillanes accused presidential son Paolo Duterte of being a member of a drug syndicate, citing as evidence a “dragon-like” tattoo on his back. The younger Duterte admitted he had a tattoo but declined to show it, invoking his right to privacy.
— Ian Nicolas Cigaral
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