MANILA, Philippines — Senator Antonio Trillanes IV dismissed as “baseless” the latest move of presidential son Paolo Duterte’s camp to have him rearrested for libel.
Duterte’s counsels have asked a Davao court to cancel Trillanes’ bail and order his immediate arrest after he left the country last month allegedly without prior permission from the court.
READ: Paolo Duterte asks court to cancel bail of Trillanes
But the senator refuted this, saying he sought the court’s permission before leaving the country last December 11.
“Nagpaalam ako bago ako umalis so mali na kaagad yung basis ng kanilang motion na sinasabi na hindi raw ako nagpaalam,” Trillanes said at the Kapihan sa Senado on Thursday.
“Nagpaalam ako at tinanggap yan ng judge. Meron kami order dated December 10 so hindi totoo yung basis,” he said.
In a five-page order dated December 10, 2018, the Davao Regional Trial Court Branch 54 denied the bid of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to stop Trillanes from traveling to Europe and the US from Dec. 11 to January 12 and and from Jan. 27 to Feb. 10, 2019.
READ: Court junks hold order plea vs Trillanes
One basis for the DOJ’s bid, Trillanes noted, was that he might take the opportunity to escape the charges against him.
But he proved his accusers wrong by returning to the country and even personally attending his arraignment on libel cases in Davao City last Tuesday.
“So talagang totally baseless gaya nung libel case na finile nila,” Trillanes said.
The senator stressed that he didn’t violate anything as proven by the court’s order, junking the DOJ’s bid against him. /je