Senator Antonio Trillanes IV said he may return home on Tuesday night, September 11, or Wednesday, September 12, despite the rejection of his request for a temporary restraining order (TRO) against President Rodrigo Duterte’s order to revoke the senator’s amnesty for his Oakwood Mutiny and the Manila Peninsula Siege case.
“Pinag uusapan namin. We’re coordinating closely so I can do it tonight or tomorrow,” Trillanes said.
Trillanes, however, reminded that legal actions may be taken against those who would try to arrest him without a warrant.
“Sa akin, kung sino man yung mag-arrest ay talagang makakasuhan ng illegal arrest,” Trillanes said.
“[That’s what we are trying to avoid] not for my sake but for their sake kasi illegal yung gagawin nila,” he added.
This was also echoed in the Supreme Court’s (SC) decision to deny the senator’s request for a TRO against the revocation of his amnesty. SC noted that Duterte’s assurance of not arresting the senator without a warrant is one of the bases for its decision.
Trillanes said he would first coordinate with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to ensure that no arrest would be made when he steps out of the Senate.
“Dahil alam nyo naman yung delay nyan sa pag-relay nung information, nung orders so titingnan natin kung tama yung basa nila dun sa basa ng mga abugado,” he said.
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.
Since then Trillanes has been spending the day inside the Senate to avoid any illegal arrest.
