Alejano: SC decision to deny Trillanes petition a victory

THE Supreme Court’s (SC) ruling that denied the appeal of Senator Antonio Trillanes IV for the issuance of a temporary restraining order against the proclamation that revoked his amnesty was a victory for the opposition senator, a lawmaker sai d.

The SC dismissed on Tuesday, September 11, Trillanes’s appeal and held that his case, which is factual in nature, should be decided by either the Court of Appeals or the lower court. The ruling came just days after Trillanes filed his petition before the High Court.

Magdalo Representative Gary Alejano, Trillanes’s ally, lauded the SC for exercising independence.

“The recent decision is a welcome development especially given the situation in the Supreme Court. They have at least shown independence on this particular case,” he said.

Alejano said although the SC did not directly contradict the Proclamation 527 issued by President Rodrigo Duterte last week, it is a positive disposition

that it noted the statements of the President and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) regarding Trillanes's arrest.

The SC, in its decision, said there is no extreme and urgent necessity for it to issue a halt order against the proclamation, as it noted Duterte and the AFP’s statement that no arrest will be done unless the court issues a warrant of arrest.

Alejano said the SC is telling Duterte that an arrest without an arrest warrant is illegal.

“We continue to trust our institutions and the legal processes available. We hope to see a favorable end on this case because we know we have always been on the side of truth,” Alejano added.

(Keith A. Calayag/SunStar Philippines)