(Eagle News) – Senator Antonio Trillanes IV is now facing inciting to sedition raps and proposing to commit coup d’etat, aside from graft, for his remarks that urged the Philippine military to use M60 machine guns on President Rodrigo Duterte, whom he had accused of having millions of pesos in bank accounts.
The group of lawyers, which included former Negros Oriental Rep. Jacinto Paras and lawyer Manuel Luna, filed their complaint with the Pasay City Prosecutor’s Office for the remarks made by Trillanes during his privilege speech delivered at the Senate on October 3.
The lawyers affiliated with the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) filed the complaint on Thursday, November 16.
They said Trillanes should be prosecuted for inciting to sedition (Article 142, Revised Penal Code), proposing to commit coup d’etat (Article 136, RPC), and graft (Section 3(e), Republic Act 3019).
The lawyers also asked the Pasay City Prosecutor’s Office to conduct a preliminary investigation on the case.
“Trillanes not only repeatedly uttered seditious words or speeches and unabatedly circulated scurrilous libels against the President, which tend to disturb the public peace, but also repeatedly incited others to inflict any hate or revenge,” the complaint stated.
They cited a portion of Trillanes’ privilege speech on Oct. 3, in which they said he “encouraged the military to kill” President Rodrigo Duterte.
“Kung makikita ito (Duterte’s alleged ill-gotten wealth) ng mga sundalo, M-60 ang gagamitin sa iyo kasi marami-rami ito. Mauubos yung magasin, kung P40 million yung hinahanap mo, Mr. Duterte,” Trillanes had said then.
The complainants said Trillanes also “committed conspiracy or proposal to commit coup d’etat” with his remarks.
They said that Trillanes is also causing undue injury against the Duterte administration “through evident bad faith or gross inexcusable negligence” because of the senator’s repeated claims on the President’s alleged hidden wealth.
They said this made Trillanes “liable for graft.”
“(This is) for irresponsibly and recklessly and continuously accusing sans evidence, that the President is keeping over P2 billion in bank accounts and or amassing illegally-acquired wealth,” they claimed.
The Anti- Money Laundering Council (AMLC) has already denied the existence of bank transaction documents that Trillanes is claiming as his evidence, saying that these papers did not come from them.
