ENRILE VOWS TRILLANES WON'T ESCAPE UNTIL AMNESTY IS APPROVED
MANILA, DECEMBER 22, 2010 (STAR) By Marvin Sy - Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile assured the nation yesterday Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV (photo att left) would remain in the country until the amnesty granted to him is approved.
Speaking to reporters, Enrile said he has assigned two security officers from the Office of the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms to guard Trillanes for the duration of his Christmas furlough.
"I will be responsible for him," he said.
Enrile said that he saw the need to assign security personnel to Trillanes to show that he understands the status of the senator at this time.
"Given the fact that he is still subject to the jurisdiction of the regional trial court before whom his case is pending, I had to go through the process of considering him still as a person under judicial custody entrusted to me," he said.
"I have to put a symbol of authority to establish that status, and that is why we have to assign to him the two members of Office of the Sergeant-At-Arms."
Enrile said he would not restrict the movement of Trillanes, and that he would not have to report to the Senate regularly.
"That is subject to my authority whether to grant or not to grant (the authority to travel abroad)," he said.
"But I will not dare allow him to go abroad until he gets his amnesty.
It would be foolish for him to run away."
"Run away for what? He already has the guarantee of the proclamation of the President. The only thing he must do is to comply (with the provisions of the proclamation)."
Enrile said he met with Makati Judge Oscar Pimentel last Oct. 25 to discuss the possibility of the Senate taking custody of Trillanes.
"I did not discuss with him the merits of the case," he said.
"The only subject matter that we discussed was whether the court would be open to the idea of allowing the transfer of the custody of Sen. Trillanes from Crame to the Senate."
Enrile said he believes the decision of Pimentel contains a guilty verdict for Trillanes.
"I have no doubt about the decision," he said.
"Because if the decision was for acquittal, then I'm sure the court would have issued it earlier. In spite of the amnesty, the court would have promulgated the decision.
"But he did not, so this gave me the impression that the decision was for conviction."
Pimentel did not come out with a decision.
He expects Trillanes to report to work on Jan. 17 when Congress resumes session, Enrile said.
'Trillanes need not apologize'
Trillanes and the other rebel soldiers who attempted to overthrow then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2003, 2006 and 2007 need not apologize and admit their guilt, Malacañang said yesterday.
"If those conditions are not found in Proclamation (75) and in the implementing rules and regulations, then there will be none," deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said.
"Should there have been any conditions, it would have been contained in the proclamation and, of course, it is at the discretion of President Aquino."
Military to seek Trillanes help
Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Jose Mabanta Jr. said the military will seek the help of Trillanes and other former military officers in Congress to pass laws beneficial to soldiers.
"(The presence of) former members of the Armed Forces (in the legislature)... is certainly a big help and a big boost to the effort of the armed forces considering that once upon a time, they were also men in uniform," he said.
"We look forward to being able to ask him (Trillanes) to pass legislation in connection with our concerns in the armed forces."
Mabanta could not give a detailed list of laws to promote the welfare of soldiers that they might ask Trillanes to help with.
Previously, defense officials have expressed support for the modernization of the Armed Forces, as well as the amendment of the National Defense Act of 1935.
Meantime, an official of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) asked the public yesterday to respect the court's decision to grant Trillanes a Christmas furlough.
Speaking over Catholic Church-run Radio Veritas, CBCP-Public Affairs Committee chairman Calookan Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez said Aquino's decision to grant amnesty to Trillanes was a good gesture on the part of the government. - With Delon Porcalla, Alexis Romero, Evelyn Macairan
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