Trillanes next? Duterte says he’s ‘too insignificant’

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and President Rodrigo Duterte. INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS

Will Senator Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV follow the footsteps of Senator Leila de Lima?

Unlikely, if President Rodrigo Duterte is to be believed.

“He is too insignificant to bother with,” Duterte said during a televised ambush interview in Malacañang on Monday.

The President was responding to reporters who asked about Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre’s remarks during a pro-Duterte rally in Luneta last Saturday.

Aguirre, whose department filed charges against De Lima, asked the crowd, “Who do you want next?” He was alluding to the arrest of De Lima, who once investigated Duterte’s links to the Davao Death Squad.

Many replied “Trillanes.”

Like De Lima, Trillanes has been very vocal in criticizing Duterte.

Senator Joel Villanueva said Aguirre’s actions were “uncalled for and unbecoming of the secretary of justice.”

Meanwhile, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said it “was not proper” because he seemed to be inciting the crowd.

“We don’t want to see a divided nation,” he said.
READ: Senators slam Aguirre for ‘uncalled for’ remark in Luneta rally

De Lima is facing charges for alleged involvement in the illegal drug trade./rga