Hearing set on gov't plea to reconsider decision of junking Trillanes arrest

MANILA, Philippines — Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 148 is set to hear next week the government’s plea to reconsider the court’s ruling that junked its motion for the issuance of warrant against Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said on Friday that a hearing has been set on the Department of Justice’s motion for partial reconsideration on October 30.

Guevarra said that the appeal was filed before Makati RTC Branch 148 on Thursday, October 25.

The justice chief earlier clarified that the government will only seek a reconsideration of the court’s findings that Trillanes complied with the requirements for applying for amnesty.

Their appeal, said Guevarra, focused on part of Judge Andres Soriano’s ruling which upheld that Trillanes “had sufficiently shown that he filed his certificate of amnesty, and that therefore it follows that he also admitted guilt for the offense of coup d’etat and recanted all statements inconsistent with such admission of guilt.”

Soriano, on October 22, junked state prosecutors’ plea for the issuance of warrant and hold departure order against Trillanes.

The judge said that while Proclamation 572 may be constitutional, it lacked factual basis: The Court “finds and so holds that Trillanes did file his amnesty application in the prescribed form in which he also admitted guilt for his participation in the Oakwood Mutiny, among others, and in which he further recanted all previous statements that he may have made contrary to said admission.”

EXPLAINER: Trillanes amnesty: Two courts and two rulings that may meet at SC

Meanwhile, the DOJ secured a favorable ruling at Makati RTC Branch 150 where they also filed a similar pleading.

On September 25, Judge Elmo Alameda granted their plea for warrant, which essentially revived the rebellion case, over the 2007 Manila Peninsula siege, against the senator.

Trillanes’ camp has asked the court to reconsider its decision and hold a testimonial hearing to “fully ventilate” the case.

Alameda has yet to rule on Trillanes’ motion.