Showdown at CA: Aguirre faces Trillanes in confirmation hearing

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II and Senators Antonio Trillanes IV. INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II returned to the Senate on Wednesday for his confirmation hearing by a panel of the Commission on Appointments (CA), this time, faced with Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, who is opposing his appointment.

Aguirre first appeared before the CA’s committee on justice and judicial bar council last February 1 but his confirmation was deferred because Trillanes was out of the country to personally confront him for calling the senator names such as “son of a bitch,” a “stupid senator,” a coward, and “sundalong kanin” (useless soldier).

READ: Aguirre’s CA confirmation deferred amid Trillanes’ opposition

Aguirre called Trillanes names after the latter accused him of being involved in the P50-million bribery scandal at the Bureau of Immigration.

“I will not deny that I have called Senator Trillanes ‘sundalong kanin,’ ‘Gagong Senador’ or ‘duwag.’ I will not be me if I don’t tell you the truth. I’ve been raised to tell the truth no matter how inconvenient it may be,” Aguirre told the CA panel during the least hearing.

BACKSTORY: Aguirre calls Trillanes coward, ‘sundalong kanin’

The nominee appealed to the panel to judge him not by the words he uttered but by the things he has done and can still do so as Justice Secretary.

Aside from Trillanes, a certain Engineer Darwin Reci has also submitted a sworn opposition on Aguirre’s appointment. IDL