The Makati City Regional Trial Court has denied the appeal of Sen. Antonio F. Trillanes IV to dismiss the rebellion case filed against him in connection with the 2007 Manila Peninsula siege.
This means that Trillanes will stand trial on the rebellion case that was, in effect, revived by President Duterte last year through Proclamation No. 572 which voided the senator’s amnesty.
Only the Court of Appeals (CA) or the Supreme Court (SC) can stop the trial.
In an order received by the Department of Justice Monday, Judge Elmo Alameda of the Makati RTC Branch 150 also affirmed the arrest order and the issuance of a hold departure order against Trillanes.
Alameda denied Trillanes’ motion for reconsideration as he stood pat on his findings last September that the senator failed to prove his compliance with the minimum requirement when he applied for amnesty during the previous administration.
The six-page order issued by Alameda stated:
“Unfortunately, Sen. Trillanes failed to prove that the original of the alleged application form exists. Sen. Trillanes even failed to explain his failure to locate or find the copy thereof.
“Since the existence of the fact of his admission of guilty of the crime he committed, the substitutionary evidence presented by Sen. Trillanes is considered hearsay evidence and cannot be admitted as evidence to prove compliance with the minimum requirement set forth in Proclamation No. 75 (Amnesty Grant).”
Alameda also reiterated that “Sen. Trillanes was not able to prove through testimonial and documentary evidence that he filed his application for amnesty nor expressly admitted his guilty in the application form for the crime he committed during the Manila Peninsula incident which are the minimum requirement set forth under Proclamation No. 75.” (Rey G. Panaligan)