Former Armed Forces chief Rodolfo Biazon said Sunday that if President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision to revoke the amnesty of Senator Antonio Trillanes IV is upheld, then the amnesties granted to his comrades who joined him in his coup attempts might be thrown out as well.
Biazon, a former senator, said he believed there was no legal basis for the President’s revocation of Trillanes’ amnesty.
He added that revoking amnesties would erode the people’s trust in the institutions of government.
Trillanes on Sunday accused Duterte of being insecure to the point of comparing their respective contributions to the military.
“Well, first of all, there shouldn’t be any competition about this. Both of us are expected to look out for the welfare of our soldiers. There should be no competition,” Trillanes said.
“But for him to say that I contributed nothing is one big lie,” he said, while releasing a list of laws and projects for the enlisted men.
Trillanes also distributed a list of infrastructure projects for the military which were financed through his assistance.
These include the construction of barracks, mess halls and quarters for enlisted personnel, club rooms and quarters for officers, and multi-purpose buildings in different camps around the country.
“If Duterte thinks that he can buy the loyalty of the military and use them as instruments of oppression, he’s dead wrong. They will always remain faithful to their constitutional mandate,” Trillanes added.
“Instead of persecuting his critics, Mr. Duterte should just focus his remaining energy on solving the major problems confronting our countrymen, foremost of which is the rising cost of living.”
Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano, meanwhile, branded the revocation of Trillanes’ amnesty as political persecution, saying the outspoken opposition senator was the only one being targeted.
“The President is sowing political vendetta with the military as his instrument. That is very wrong,” he said.
“Eventually, it could be applied to us. You are putting the military again in a tense situation,” he added.
The Supreme Court is set to deliberate on Trillanes petition to nullify the revocation of his amnesty and to prevent his arrest on Tuesday.
The government has asked two Makati courts to issue an arrest warrant against Trillanes, but neither of them has done so.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines said Sunday a court-martial can take custody of a soldier’s case if the grant of amnesty is lifted.
AFP Public Affairs Office chief Colonel Noel Detoyato made the remark on Sunday following the revocation of the amnesty granted to Trillanes.
In an interview with radio dzBB, Detoyato said all persons under sentence adjudged by court-martial will remain under the jurisdiction of the latter until the case is either dismissed, acquitted, convicted, sentenced, or halted by a supervening event.
