Ethics complaint puzzles Trillanes

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV was puzzled why he was slapped with an ethics case for his supposed “offensive” language when President Rodrigo Duterte was even applauded every time he curses in public.

“Alam nyo itong lipunan natin ngayon, nakita nga natin yung Presidente kahit yung Santo Papa e minumura. Pinapalakpakan pa nga nila sa SONA (State  of the Nation Address),  kung ano-anong   mura ang ginagawa,”  Trillanes said in an interview  over DZMM   on Tuesday.

“Tapos ako ho bilang elected official, halal ng bayan e hindi ako pwedeng magsalita ng ganun? So may problema sa ating lipunan kung ganyan po ang kalakaran,” he added.

Trillanes, an opposition member, was referring to his supposed “offensive” language during the August 31 hearing of the Senate blue ribbon committee, which he described as “comité de absuelto” or committee of exoneration.

He made the remark  during  a heated debate  with  the panel’s chair,  Senator Ricard Gordon, over  his motion  to  summon the President’s son and son-in-law — Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte and lawyer Manases “Mans” Carpio, respectively, into the  ongoing probe on the smuggling of P6.4 billion worth of “shabu” from China.

In   the complaint, Gordon asked that Trillanes be dealt with accordingly for “continued and unabated unparliamentary acts, language and conduct and disorderly behavior” during the August 31 hearing of the blue ribbon committee.

“The continuing, schematic and incorrigible abrasive conduct of Senator Trillanes should be dealt with accordingly, maybe a censure is not enough,” Gordon said in the complaint.

Gordon claimed the ethics case against Trillanes had the support of at least 14 senators.  Trillanes was confident, however, that the complaint against him could only get three or four supporters in the Senate.

READ: 14 senators back ethics case vs Trillanes, says Gordon

“It’s a long process and I’m confident na sabi ko nga marami na yung tatlo o apat na susuporta sa kanya,” Trillanes said. kga