Makati Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 148 on Monday, October 22, rejected the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) request for an arrest warrant against Senator Antonio Trillanes IV over his coup d’etat charges which was dismissed seven years ago.
Makati Judge Andres Soriano junked the justice department’s motion to issue an arrest order against the opposition senator, citing “no reason to disturb the doctrine of immutability of a final and executory judgment.”
Soriano also contradicted the factual basis of amnesty revocation proclaimed by President Rodrigo Duterte, saying that “the Court finds and so holds that Trillanes did file his amnesty application.”
Following the court’s decision, Senator Trillanes thanked Judge Soriano for upholding the rule of law and justice.
“Nais po nating pasalamatan si Judge Soriano na single-handedly, he upheld justice and the rule of law in our country despite the extreme pressure coming from the Duterte regime,” Trillanes told reporters.
The senator added that he will continue to uphold democracy as part of an opposition.
“I will just continue to do my job…Nothing changes, I’ll be the same critic as I was before. I’m just upholding my role in our democracy as a member of the opposition,” he said.
A staunch critic of the President, Trillanes was ordered to be arrested after President Duterte revoked his amnesty under Proclamation No. 527 early September.
