'No witness:' Plea for travel ban vs Trillanes withdrawn

MANILA, Philippines — A local prosecutor has withdrawn the government’s plea for a travel ban against Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV due to lack of a witness.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said last week that the government sought the issuance of a hold departure order from Pasay and Davao courts, where the senator is facing criminal case cases.

On Monday, Presiding Judge Rowena Nieves Tan granted Assistant City Prosecutor Reynaldo Ticyado’s motion to withdraw the government’s pleading, where the prosecutor said that “he has no witness to testify.”

Trillanes is facing a case of inciting to sedition before Pasay court.

The Department of Justice earlier failed to reverse Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 150's ruling that granted Trillanes’ plea to temporarily lift the travel ban to allow him to go to the United States and Europe for speaking engagements.

Presiding Judge Elmo Alameda affirmed his ruling last Friday, December 7.

The senator is set to leave the country for the Netherlands, Spain and United Kingdom from DecNetherlands, Spain and United Kingdom from Dec. 11, 2018 to Jan. 12, 2019, and the US from Jan. 27 to Feb. 10, 2019 to meet different groups and attend various activities as part of his official duties.

Guevarra: Immigration will allow Trillanes to travel

A similar plea for the issuance of a hold departure order was filed before the Davao court, where the senator is facing a libel case filed by former Davao City vice mayor and presidential son Paolo Duterte.

Last week, Davao Regional Trial Court Branch 54 issued four warrants of arrest against Trillanes. The senator paid a total of P96,000 bail bond earlier on Monday at Pasay.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra told reporters that the Davao RTC gave Trillanes five days from December 7, or until Wednesday, to file his comment on the government's motion.

"The court is not expected to issue an HDO until it has received and evaluated Sen. Trillanes' comment/opposition," Guevarra added.

The Justice secretary however said that he instructed the Bureau of Immigration, agency under DOJ, to allow Trillanes to travel abroad "if there's no HDO issued by any court."

"The matter of getting the Davao court's permission to travel abroad is between Sen. Trillanes and the court," Guevarra said.

"If he travels without court permission, that is his own lookout," he added.