Aguirre confirmed as DOJ chief despite Trillanes opposition

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II during the Commission on Appointments hearing at the Senate in Pasay City on Wednesday. ARNOLD ALMACEN/INQUIRER

Despite opposition by Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on Wednesday eventually got the nod of the Commission on Appointments (CA).

Aguirre’s confirmation as justice secretary came after his second appearance at the hearing of the CA committee on justice and judicial and bar council.

The hearing lasted three hours and included a 40-minute executive session before the committee agreed on Sen. Panfilo Lacson’s proposal to recommend Aguirre’s confirmation to the full commission in plenary.

During the committee hearing, Trillanes berated Aguirre for calling him names and slammed him for granting special privileges to high-profile convicts detained at the Armed Forces of the Philippines custodial center who had testified that Sen. Leila de Lima received drug protection money when she was justice secretary.

Pressure from Palace

While the committee was meeting privately, Trillanes spoke to reporters to say that he expected the committee would “submit to pressure” from Malacañang.

“It’s not about merit, it’s about political alliances, political conveniences and political pressure,” he said.

Sen. Loren Legarda, the committee chair, dismissed Trillanes’ claim. “I can look you straight in the eye that there was never any call from any person in Malacañang, including the President,” she told reporters.

Legarda said the committee decided that Aguirre had “sufficiently” answered the points raised by Trillanes who had asked the panel to look into a Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) confidential memorandum that said Aguirre had given instructions for the special treatment of the high-profile inmates at the military custodial center.

She also said the committee had to decide on the motion of Lacson to recommend Aguirre’s nomination.

“I want to thank Senator Trillanes because we were able to talk about our good relationship 13 years ago,” Aguirre later told reporters.

He said he told the senators that he was the only lawyer allowed by Trillanes, then a Navy captain, to interview him and fellow military officers who took part in the Oakwood mutiny in 2003.

Sincere apology

Aguirre stressed the apology he extended to Trillanes during the hearing was a “sincere” one.

He said he apologized to Trillanes for calling him names such as “gagong senador” and “sundalong kanin,” as well as a “son of a bitch” after the senator accused him of involvement in a P50-million bribery scandal in the Bureau of Immigration.

Aguirre admitted he may have hurt some people in the course of doing his job and that his outburst against Trillanes was the first time that he had lost his cool after his honor and integrity was questioned.

Trillanes told the committee he accepted the apology and expressed the belief that Aguirre had learned his lesson. But he insisted that the senators look into the immigration scandal.

“Moreover, it appears now that Mr. Aguirre is the one guilty of the acts he is accusing Senator De Lima of committing, i.e., allowing convicted inmates to enjoy lavish and luxurious lifestyles and giving them the privilege of being able to communicate and go about their illicit businesses even while in detention,” Trillanes said.

In reply to Trillanes’ request for the committee to look into the BuCor memo saying Aguirre allowed special  privileges for inmates,  Aguirre read his letter to the Inquirer on its editorial on the same topic.

The secretary dismissed as hearsay the statements made by a BuCor legal counsel, Albert Herrera Lim, in his report to a BuCor head, Benjamin del Rosario, on the special privileges.