Senator Antonio Trillanes IV on Tuesday vowed to expose more alleged corrupt activities of Vice President Jejomar Binay.
Trillanes went to the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday to submit his rejoinder-affidavit on the libel case filed against him by suspended Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay in connection with his allegation that the mayor bribed Court of Appeals justices to stay the implementation of his preventive suspension order.
Trillanes reiterated that the libel case against him is simply a harassment case designed to stop him from exposing anomalies involving the Vice President.
“I still maintain na harassment case ito. This [libel complaint] is meant to destruct me on my investigation pero hindi ako made destruct sabi ko nga lalu akong ginaganahan at next week, magkakaroon kami ng hearing ulit tungkol kay Vice President Binay,” Trillanes told reporters.
The hearing, he hinted, will tackle a new anomaly allegedly involving the Vice President.
In the new anomaly, Trillanes said billions of pesos were allegedly stolen and stashed away using dummies.
“Marami kasi silang kalokohang ginawa doon sa Makati kaya nahihirapan tayo. Next week ipapakita nating kung gaano kakurakot si VP Binay,” Trillanes, a staunch critic of VP Binay, explained.
Trillanes, who initiated the Senate investigation on the alleged corrupt activities of the Vice President, is facing a libel suit before the DOJ after he accused Associate Justices Jose Reyes Jr. and Francisco Acosta of receiving P25 million each in consideration for the issuance of two orders that stopped the six-month preventive suspension of Mayor Binay.
Through Senate Resolution No. 1265, Trillanes urged the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights to investigate the alleged bribery.
During the preliminary investigation, Mayor Binay’s counsel, Atty. Claro Certeza, said Trillanes failed to present evidence that the mayor bribed the appeals court justices. He added that Trillanes cannot also invoke parliamentary immunity because he made the revelation before the media, not during its session.
“The senator’s defense of parliamentary immunity applies only to acts done as part of his official functions. And his official function is to legislate laws – not to investigate (anomalies) and determine who should be held liable,” the lawyer pointed out.
“They can investigate in Congress, but when a lawmaker tags someone as a criminal or law breaker even without evidence yet, that’s a different story because that’s concluding already,” Certeza stressed.
In his rejoinder-affidavit, Trillanes has again invoked his parliamentary immunity in seeking dismissal of the libel charge.
Trillanes also claimed violation of the forum-shopping rule since the issue is already subject of an earlier contempt petition filed by Mayor Binay against him before the CA.