Duterte senator foe arrested:

Asia

Philippine police on Tuesday arrested a lawmaker who is among President Rodrigo Duterte’s most vocal critics, just minutes after a court issued a warrant on revived charges of rebellion that were dropped in 2011 after an amnesty.

The arrest of Senator Antonio Trillanes is the latest round in his sparring with Duterte, whom he accuses of hiding wealth and being responsible for alleged executions of thousands of suspected criminals and drug dealers, which Duterte denies.

Trillanes has backed several complaints to the International Criminal Court (ICC) seeking the president’s indictment for crimes against humanity and has protected people willing to testify against Duterte.

“This is a debacle and a defeat of democracy,” Trillanes, a former navy officer, who accompanied arresting officers into a vehicle and was taken to a police station to be photographed and fingerprinted before posting bail, told reporters.

“We expect other forms of harassment in the days to come,” he said, adding that he expected the worst.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said it was time for Trillanes to stop grandstanding.

“The court has spoken,” he said in a statement. “Let us stop the drama by press conference and allow the legal process to take its course.” (RTRS)