Davao court orders Trillanes arrest for libel

DAVAO CITY, Philippines — A regional trial court (RTC) here ordered the arrest of Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV for libel charges filed by presidential son and former vice mayor Paolo Duterte.

Libel is a bailable offense and Judge Melinda Alconcel-Dayanghirang of RTC Branch 54 yesterday fixed the bail for Trillanes at P24,000 for each of the four libel charges separately filed by Duterte and his brother-in-law, lawyer Manases Carpio.

Carpio is the husband of presidential daughter and Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.

Duterte and Carpio filed libel charges against Trillanes over the opposition senator’s allegations linking them to the smuggling of billions worth of shabu.

Trillanes also alleged that the younger Duterte engaged in extortion from ride-sharing firm Uber and other companies.

Not a flight risk

A Makati City RTC, meanwhile, handling the rebellion case of Trillanes has junked anew the motion of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to reconsider its decision allowing the senator to travel abroad. ?Judge Elmo Alameda of the Makati RTC Branch 150 does not see any reason to revert his earlier ruling, saying Trillanes is not a “flight risk,” contrary to what the DOJ claims. 

State prosecutor Richard Fadullon said the DOJ filed the motion for reconsideration last Monday, asking the court to review its decision to lift Trillanes’ travel ban as the department described the senator as a “flight risk.”

Trillanes’ lawyer Reynaldo Robles earlier said all the charges and accusations filed against the senator are a sign of the government’s desperation to persecute him, being a known critic of the administration. 

With the recent development, Trillanes has posted a travel bond of P200,000, which means that he can now travel to some parts of Europe and the United States from Dec. 11 to Jan. 11, 2019 as far as the Makati RTC is concerned.