THE Davao City Regional Trial Court Branch 54 has rejected the Department of Justice’s (DOJ’s) petition to prevent Senator Antonio Trillanes IV from leaving the country.
In an order dated December 12, 2018, which was released to media on Tuesday, RTC Branch 54 Presiding Judge Melinda Alconcel-Dayanghirang denied the DOJ’s motion for issuance of a hold departure order (HDO) against Trillanes in relation to his scheduled trips abroad.
Dayanghirang found that Trillanes “is not a flight risk.”
Trillanes, meanwhile, welcomed the court’s decision.
“Wine-welcome ko decision ng judge na ‘wag mag-issue ng HDO. Unang una libel case lang naman ito at pinakita ko na di ako flight risk. That’s very encouraging na moving forward, kung mag-proceed man ang kasong ito, may indications ng objectivity and fairness,” he said in a text message to reporters.
The Davao City RTC Branch 54 handles the libel cases filed by former Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte against his family’s staunch critic. Last December 7, it ordered Trillanes’ arrest over four counts of libel.
The court noted that the opposition senator has surrendered himself to its jurisdiction when he posted bail on December 10 to lift the implementation of the arrest warrant.
“To the Court’s mind, the immediate voluntary surrender of the accused to the court upon his knowledge from media accounts of the warrants of arrest issued against him indicates that the risk of his flight or escape from this jurisdiction are highly unlikely,” part of the Branch 54 decision read.
“His voluntary surrender and placing himself under the jurisdiction of the court is a demonstration of his utter respect for the legal processes of this country,” it added.
The court also cited that Trillanes’ trips were authorized by Senate President Vicente Sotto III and are related to his functions as a senator of the country.
The DOJ, on the other hand, had admitted during a December 7 hearing that it “does not have evidence to show that the accused will not return to the country after his Scheduled trips abroad.”
Trillanes was in Davao City to attend his arraignment for the libel charges, despite him being a persona non grata in the city.
Trillanes pleaded not guilty to the four libel cases. (with a report from Armando Fenequito Jr.)
