Former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV. (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)
MANILA, Philippines Ω— The Court of Appeals allowed former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV to travel to Singapore and the United States from Aug. 28 to Sept. 22 despite a court hold-departure order over a pending libel case.
Trillanes said he would attend a course at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in the National University of Singapore, and another at the Kennedy School of Government in Harvard University in the United States.
He told the Court of Appeals that he enrolled in those courses “because of his current occupation as a professor” at the Ateneo de Manila University School of Government and the University of the Philippines College of Public Administration and Governance.
“He is required to attend continuing professional education and to keep himself abreast with the latest developments in the fields of governance, leadership, public administration, and public policy,” said the Court of Appeals Seventh Division, citing Trillanes’ petition.
“We are convinced that [Trillanes] is not a flight risk and is thus entitled to a temporary lifting of his ban to travel abroad from Aug. 28 to Sept. 22,” said the three-member division.
A Makati Regional Trial Court issued the hold departure order against Trillanes due to the libel case, but the trial court permitted the former senator to travel abroad in 2020 under a P100,000 travel cash bond.
RELATED STORY
Makati RTC finds Trillanes guilty of libel for ‘justice for sale’ statement