Senator Antonio Trillanes IV. INQUIRER PHOTO / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE
Senator Antonio Trillanes IV on Sunday released a list of laws and projects he pushed for the military and police in a bid to belie President Rodrigo Duterte’s claim the he did nothing for the welfare of state forces.
In the list distributed to media, among the listed laws relating to military and other uniformed personnel which were authored and sponsored by Trillanes were Joint Resolution No. 5 which Increased the Subsistence Allowance of Uniformed Personnel from P90 to P150; the New AFP Modernization Act; the Salary Standardization Law 3, which increased the salaries of the uniformed personnel and pensions of the retirees; and RA 10649 which increased the Burial Assistance for Veterans from P10,000 to Php 20,000.
In addition to these, he also introduced 18 AFP-related bills which are still pending at the committee level.
The senator also distributed a list of infrastructure projects for the military which were financed through his assistance which include 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.
“Duterte is so insecure that he needed to compare his contributions to the military to mine. 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. Wala dapat kompetisyon. But for him to say that I contributed nothing, is one big lie,” Trillanes, one of the President’s staunchest critics, said in a statement.
Duterte on Saturday said the former military officer turned senator did little to help the Armed Forces despite being close to former President Benigno Aquino III.
“It was all Trillanes, pretending to be a crusading soldier when as a matter of fact, wala naman silang ginawa,” Duterte said upon his arrival from Israel and Jordan.
He added that Trillanes abandoned the cause of the military and instead took advantage of his position for personal gain.
READ: Duterte: Trillanes became corrupt
Trillanes, who figured in two failed uprisings against former President Gloria Arroyo, said “If Duterte thinks that he can buy the loyalty of the military and use them as instruments of oppression, he’s dead wrong,” saying soldiers would remain faithful to their constitutional mandate.
“Instead of persecuting his critics, Mr. Duterte should just focus his remaining energy to solving the major problems confronting our countrymen, foremost of which is the rising cost of living,” he added.
Duterte has repeatedly been forced to sideline his official functions and duties to respond to criticisms and claims of Trillanes, who has accused the President of corruption.
In November 2017, the Office of the Ombudsman dismissed a plunder case filed by Trillanes against Duterte.
“There was no evidence to support the claim” of Trillanes, said Solicitor General Jose Calida. /cbb