There is no duplicate of Trillanes amnesty form says Ad Hoc panel exec

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

All amnesty applicants, including Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, were only given one form to be filled up and submitted to the Ad Hoc Amnesty Committee, witnesses said during Friday’s hearing at the Makati City Regional Trial Court.

In a court proceeding before the Makati RTC Branch 148 that is handling the coup d’ etat case against Trillanes, Col. Josefa Berbigal, head of the Ad Hoc Amnesty Committee Secretariat, testified that each of the amnesty applicants only has a single form to fill up and this form has to be submitted to the committee for approval.

READ: Lorenzana to Trillanes: We ‘dug’ up but couldn’t find amnesty application

Berbigal was the one who received Trillanes’ application form and administered his oath.

When asked what happened to that one application form of Trillanes, the witness said she placed it inside an envelope along with the other requirements of those applying for an amnesty.

“All applicants were given one form to fill up,” Berbigal said adding that the application form, along with the other applications her office has received, were turned over to the Ad Hoc Committee for deliberation.

Former Defense Undersecretary Honorio Azcueta, then head of the Ad Hoc Amnesty Committee who also took the witness stand after Berbigal, said part of the amnesty applications deliberated on Jan. 21, 2011, was the application form of Trillanes.

However, there was a conflict as to where the application form ended up after the deliberation. Berbigal said she turned it over to Azcueta who will, in turn submit it to the Secretary of National Defense.

But Azcueta said the original application of Trillanes was sent back to the secretariat to which Berbigal was the head.

“I don’t maintain records…As far as I know there is no duplicate,” said Azcueta.

Acting Prosecutor General Richard Anthony Fadullon pointed out that there was a “pingpong” of words on who last held the application of Trillanes.

“It seemed there is a pingpong,” Fadullon said.

But Trillanes’ counsel, Atty. Reynaldo Robles, said it is immaterial if the application form was transmitted to the Secretary of National Defense or stayed with the Secretariat.

“Both Berbigal and Azcueta testified that our client submitted an [amnesty] application form,” Robles said.

Both Azcueta and Berbigal added that Trillanes complied with all the requirements and the application form he submitted was sufficient.

Aside from Makati RTC Branch 148, Trillanes has a separate case for rebellion before the Makati RTC Branch 150, which already set aside its 2011 order dismissing the case and issued a warrant for the senator’s arrest.

The Makati RTC Branch 150 believed that only the application form should be considered and not primary evidence to support the senator’s claim that he has complied with the amnesty requirements.

Robles said they have already filed a motion for reconsideration on the Makati Court’s order. /jpv