Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV may have committed political suicide by picking a fight with Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario.
Former President Joseph Estrada, a close friend of Enrile and his fellow leader in the United Nationalist Alliance, practically predicted Trillanes’ downfall in next year’s elections.
“[It looks like he’s finished,]” Estrada said in Filipino. Trillanes, he said, was “rude” and “disrespectful.”
In a separate interview, a close ally of Trillanes said the former Navy officer may now be “politically dead.” He said he was afraid the administration might drop Trillanes from the LP senatorial ticket.
A senator said Trillanes made enemies among his colleagues after attacking the 88-year-old Enrile.
August caucus
The senator, a former ally of Trillanes, recounted what happened in the caucus in August that made Trillanes angry with Enrile.
He said Trillanes arrived late and saw Enrile with Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Villafuerte, a known lobbyist for the bill that would create Nueva Camarines province.
The sight of Enrile and Villafuerte must have made Trillanes think that the Senate President called the caucus for a discussion of the bill. He was wrong, the senator said. The meeting was about the upcoming deliberations on the national budget, the senator said.
Trillanes then told the group that he was opposed to the Camarines Sur bill, to which Enrile replied, “OK, Sonny.”
Sen. Franklin Drilon, chair of the finance committee, proceeded to discuss how the bill could fit into the legislative calendar.
JPE’s acknowledgment
“Sonny was angry because he thought that Enrile was brushing him aside,” the senator said. “He thought that we would discuss his opposition to the bill. But that was not the subject of the caucus. It was enough that the Senate President acknowledged it,” said the senator, who was at the caucus.
The senator said he and at least two other senior colleagues “raised [our] eyebrows” over Trillanes’ behavior at the caucus.
Some members of the Liberal Party (LP) who were annoyed by Trillanes’ behavior in the Senate on Wednesday also said his status on the administration’s senatorial ticket for next year’s midterm elections may be reviewed as a result of the controversy he created.
President’s alter ego
In separate interviews, the LP members spoke about their disapproval of Trillanes’ criticizing Del Rosario, one of the most trusted members of President Aquino’s Cabinet.
“He’s in effect hitting the President because [Del Rosario] is the alter ego of the President, being a Cabinet member,” said one party stalwart, who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
Another party member agreed, saying Trillanes’ attack on Del Rosario could be seen as an “attack on the President as well.”
The other LP member said party officials would have to make “some tough decisions” in the coming week on how to handle Trillanes.
Reelectionist
Trillanes, an administration ally, is running for reelection as a member of the Nacionalista Party, which is in talks with the LP for a coalition for next year’s elections.
He was earlier mentioned as likely to be given a slot on the administration’s senatorial slate, which would also include candidates from the Nationalist People’s Coalition.
“They should clean up the slate,” the LP member said, suggesting that Trillanes mend fences as well with Enrile, whom the junior senator accused of railroading the creation of a new province out of Camarines Sur in his privilege speech on Wednesday.
He said the coming week, the last before the filing of certificates of candidacy, could be spent as a cooling period and settling matters involving Trillanes.
“We care for young people [like him], but there should be moderation, wise choice of words,” he said.