Manila,
Philippines – Pasay City prosecutor’s office has filed charges for inciting
sedition against opposition
senator Antonio Trillanes over anti-Duterte speech, as confirmed by lawyer
Manny Luna.
The
complaint rooted from the charges filed in November 2017 by Luna and his colleague,
from the Volunteers
Against Crime and Corruption (VACC), and is also the labor secretary Jacinto
Paras.
In October 2017, Trillanes accused the president of amassing millions on
his bank account, including the transactions during his privilege speech.
Trillanes accused not only the chief executive but also his family of
having bank transactions amounting to around P2 billion.
The senator, who is also critic of the tough-talking president, labelled
the recommendation as a sort of pressure on him since his speech was constitutionally
protected from suit.
His shoot-the-president remark towards Duterte also led the group of VACC to move and prosecute Trillanes.
Meanwhile, according to the decision signed by Joahna Lim of Pasay city prosecution
office, what Trillanes did might fall within the scope of inciting sedition since
proposal to commit coup d’etat could not prosper.
“It is recommended that the within attached information for inciting to
sedition… against respondents Senator Antonio F. Trillanes IV, John and Jane
Does be approved and filed in court,” the decision states.
“The acts complained of do not show that respondent proposes to other
persons the commission of the crime of coup d’etat,” the decision wrote.
In a statement, Trillanes cited that pro Duterte lawyers were mistaken,
if they think this case would stop him from what he was fighting for.
“If their objective is to cow me to stop criticizing Duterte, well, just
like what I said before, this further encourages me to fight what is wrong and
evil,” he said.
Source: Philstar
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