Trillanes files motion seeking travel abroad

SEN. ANTONIO F. Trillanes IV has asked the Makati City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 150 to partially lift his travel ban due to his rebellion case to attend to various meetings and activities abroad.

In the motion for leave of court to travel abroad, Mr. Trillanes said he will travel to Spain, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom from Dec. 11, 2018 to Jan. 12, 2019 “to perform his official duties” in various capacities abroad including a lecture at the Universiteit van Amsterdam on “Democracy and the Rule of Law in the Philippines.”

Mr. Trillanes will also travel to the United States on Jan. 27 to Feb. 10, 2019 to meet with various groups and organizations in California, Washington D.C. and Maryland.

“As shown by his past actions, particularly by the fact that he voluntarily surrendered and posted bail in the instant case immediately upon the issuance of the warrant of arrest in the case, as well as by the fact that he has always returned to the country as committed in the instances he was permitted by the Courts to travel abroad despite of the filing and dependency of the cases against him, herein former Accused is not at flight risk,” he stated.

Also included in Mr. Trillanes’s motion is the official permission to travel granted by Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III.

The prosecution was given until Nov. 28 to comment on the senator’s motion before its resolution by the court on Dec. 3.

On Sept. 25, Judge Elmo M. Alameda of Makati RTC Branch 150 granted the prosecution’s motion to issue a warrant of arrest and hold-departure order against Mr. Trillanes in connection with his rebellion case. The senator posted P200,000 bail that same day.

The prosecution has moved to issue an arrest warrant against Mr. Trillanes following President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s Proclamation No. 572 which voided his amnesty over his coup d’etat and rebellion cases in connection with the 2003 Oakwood Mutiny and 2007 Manila Peninsula Siege. According to the proclamation, Mr. Trillanes did not avail himself of amnesty, which was granted by then president Benigno S.C. Aquino III in 2010. The cases against Mr. Trillanes were subsequently dismissed the next year. —