Senator defies arrest order
Duterte’s fiercest critic remains in standoff over ‘illegal’ action
MANILA: A Philippine senator who is President Rodrigo Duterte’s fiercest critic in Congress remained holed up in the Senate to avoid what he considers an illegal arrest after Duterte voided his amnesty for his role as a rebel military officer.
Sen Antonio Trillanes IV told reporters after staying overnight in the Senate that his lawyers would file a petition to the Supreme Court to challenge the legality of Duterte’s proclamation voiding his amnesty for taking part in failed coup attempts years ago.
Duterte also ordered the Department of Justice and the military to pursue criminal and administrative complaints against Trillanes, a former navy officer.
Trillanes told the police and military not to follow Duterte’s “illegal order” for him to be arrested with- out a court warrant, saying his rebellion and coup cases were dismissed in 2011 without being questioned by the government after he availed of an amnesty offered by Duterte’s predecessor.
Addressing military and police officers who may be pressured to enforce Duterte’s order out of fear, Trillanes said “Duterte will not be there for long, please do not do anything illegal or unconstitutional.”
Duterte’s order, which was made public on Tuesday while he was on a trip to Israel, has sparked a legal debate. Some legal experts have questioned whether Duterte can invalidate a rebel amnesty declared by a previous president and approved by legislators.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra told reporters on Tuesday that Duterte voided Trillanes’ amnesty because the senator had failed to comply with all of its requirements, including a clear admission of his involvement in past coup attempts.
Trillanes cannot invoke his con- gressional immunity from arrest because the crimes he allegedly committed, including rebellion, were serious and punishable by life imprisonment, Guevarra said.
During a televised Senate session, however, Trillanes showed video footage and news reports denying Duterte’s basis for voiding his amnesty.
The news reports showed an image of his amnesty application, which officials said they could not find, and carried remarks by Trillanes acknowledging his participation in the uprisings.
“That presidential declaration should alarm the justices of the Supreme Court because Duterte exercises executive, legislative and judicial powers,” Trillanes said.
“If they affirm the presidential declaration, the president can issue warrants of arrest.”