Mutineer fails to register as voter

Lieutenant Senior Grade Antonio Trillanes IV, the Oakwood mutiny leader who has set his eyes on a Senate seat in the 2007 polls, failed to register as a voter in Caloocan City yesterday.

Trillanes’ attempt at taking the first official steps at participating in next year’s election was stymied by an order from the Commission on Elections allowing the registration of voters only from Sunday through Thursday. Yesterday, however, turned out to be a non-registration day.

Trillanes, who was granted a one-day pass by Judge Oscar Pimentel of the Makati City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 148, will need another court order to register anew likely on Monday. The last day of registration is Dec. 31.

Trillanes has to register anew after failing to vote in the last three consecutive elections. This led to the deletion of his name from the Comelec’s registry of voters.

This, however, did not keep the Marine officer from announcing the main reason for his presence there.

"I would like to officially announce my participation in next year’s elections. I have arrived at this decision because I simply cannot helplessly watch the incessant rape of our people’s dignity and our country’s wealth," said Trillanes who read a statement he signed at the Comelec office, shortly before he was told he cannot register.

He added that he also would like to pursue the advocacies he started three years ago, "albeit in another forum," in obvious reference to the 2003 Oakwood mutiny.

Trillanes, although looking forward to next year’s elections, hinted at fears it may not happen at all.

"I believe the elections are the only peaceful avenue left for the Filipinos to effect change of leadership in this country. However, in the light of the new developments in the House of Representatives, where the (Arroyo) administration seems hell-bent on pushing for Charter change regardless of all the legal barriers against it, even this avenue may be taken away from us," said Trillanes, referring to the House resolution calling for a constituent assembly to amend the Constitution.

Trillanes said the administration’s allies in the House would ram it down the people’s throat despite the mounting public opposition "because they are convinced that we are apathetic as a people not to do anything about it."

"I am against Cha-cha because we haven’t even tried to run the system correctly and properly to know whether it’s working or not," he said, emphasizing that the problem lay with the country’s leaders.

Trillanes is confident that the constituent assembly bid in the House would not succeed because "the people will unite against it."

When asked about what makes him confident he will win in his Senate bid, Trillanes said he has established a sufficient number of friends and supporters that will see him through.

Trillanes, in black shirt and blue denim, came to the Comelec’s Caloocan District 1 office on Zapote Road in Camarin, Caloocan City on board a Land Cruiser arriving over an hour after his expected arrival.

After briefly reading his statement to the media, a Comelec officer told him to his consternation that he couldn’t register.

Ma. Cecilia Ramos, election assistant, in lieu of election officer Ma. Sheila Rojas who was elsewhere, pointed the blame on Circular 7684, a resolution approved en banc by the Commissioners in September 2006.

Trillanes’ mother, Estelita, and some relatives and friends were at the Comelec office hours before Trillanes arrived. Mother and son hugged and kissed as soon as he arrived. He was surrounded by burly security men in plainclothes. — With Jaime Laude, Michael Punongbayan