The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday, September 11, denied Senator Antonio Trillanes IV’s request for a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the revocation of his amnesty for Oakwood Mutiny and the Manila Peninsula Siege case.
The decision also requested the government to provide a response on Trillanes’ challenge on the constitutionality of President Rodrigo Duterte’s order to revoke the amnesty given to the senator by former president Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III. The SC gave the government ten days to submit their response.
Trillanes submitted the TRO request before the SC on September 6 citing that Duterte’s order was unconstitutional for lacking the concurrence of a majority of all members of Congress. The request added that the order violates Trillanes’ right for due process and equal protection.
The Court, however, said that the earlier decision of the Makati Regional Trial Court (RTC) branches to schedule a hearing instead of issuing an arrest warrant proves that “there is no extreme and urgent necessity for the Court to issue an injunctive relief considering that the respondents have acknowledged Senator Trillanes’ right to due process.”
Meanwhile, trials at two Makati RTC branches are set to happen this week to discuss Trillanes’ case and the justice department’s request for a warrant of arrest and hold departure order against the senator.
Currently, Trillanes still stays inside the Senate to avoid warrantless arrest.
On September 4, Senate President Vicente Sotto III put the session on caucus and declared that Trillanes could not be arrested inside the Senate premises while session is ongoing. Other senators supported this decision.
Sotto also revealed that Trillanes has expressed his willingness to come with the police if a warrant is issued against him.
