(Eagle News)—Solicitor General Jose Calida on Tuesday, Sept. 25, welcomed the Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 150’s upholding of Proclamation No. 572 that declared the amnesty granted to Senator Antonio Trillanes IV as void ab initio, and the court’s subsequent issuance of a .warrant of arrest and hold departure order against the senator.
Calida reportedly had a hand in the review of the amnesty granted to Trillanes by the government of then-President Benigno Aquino III.
“The amnesty granted to Mr. Trillanes is void. The RTC is convinced that Mr. Trillanes: (1) did not file an application for amnesty, (2) did not admit guilt in his involvement in the Oakwood mutiny and the Manila Peninsula incident, and (3) did not recant all previous statements inconsistent with his alleged general admission of guilt,” Calida said.
According to Calida, this means that it was “time for trial.”
“Mr. Trillanes should be made accountable for his crimes against the Republic,” Calida said.
Trillanes is facing a rebellion case in the sala of Judge Elmo Alameda, after the judge ruled this could be revived with the issuance of Proclamation No. 572.
The prosecution had argued that with the amnesty declared as void ab initio by the proclamation, the dismissal in 2011 of the cases stemming from Trillanes’ participation in the Oakwood mutiny and Manila Peninsula siege in 2003 and 2007, respectively, no longer holds.
Apart from the rebellion case, a coup d’etat case was filed against Trillanes before te Makati RTC branch 148.
Alameda echoed the DOJ’s position this was because the dismissal no longer had a leg to stand on.
Trillanes posted bail for his templrary liberty.
