Senator Antonio Trillanes has been formally charged in court for a supposed threat to kill an undersecretary.
The complaint for grave threat filed by Labour Undersecretary Jacinto Paras, a former congressman, was approved by Pasay City Prosecutor Reynaldo Ticyado and was raffled to the Pasay City Metropolitan Trial Court (MTC) Branch 47 in December.
Trillanes and Paras were summoned by Judge Joeven Dellosa to the Pasay MTC Branch 47 on February 15 at 8:30 in the morning.
The order dated Dec 14, 2018 was made public only yesterday.
Paras, in his complaint, said his mind was not at ease since the senator allegedly made threats to kill him during a media scrum at the Senate on May 29, 2018.
“Without justifiable cause did then and there wilfully, unlawfully and feloniously threaten to kill Jacinto Paras, thereby creating fear and anxiety on the mind of the said complainant,” the court order read, saying Paras’ fear for his life convinced the court to indict Trillanes.
“Such guts. Your boss won’t last. I’ll finish you. You’re a mercenary. I’ll finish you… Keep on laughing. Your day will come, I’ll finish you. You’re lucky, the secretary is kind, I’d finish you otherwise,” Trillanes was quoted as saying.
It’s unclear who was the “amo” or “boss” Trillanes was referring to.
It was also unclear whether the secretary Trillanes was referring to was Labour Secretary Silvestre Bello, Paras’ superior.
Trillanes, who arrived in Manila on Wednesday for a series of overseas trips, was given 10 days from the receipt of the order to file a counter-affidavit and affidavits of his witnesses or evidence.
Yesterday, he said that like all other “harassment” cases filed against him, he would face squarely the grave threat charges filed against him by Paras.
“Duterte has overturned the justice system in the Philippines.
He (Duterte) was the one who killed the ordinary Filipinos, he had asked soldiers to rape women, ordered to kidnap and torture state auditors and hold-up bishops, and now he is asking his men to file grave charges against me? He is really crazy,” said Trillanes in a statement sent to reporters.
“I just arrived from my trip last Wednesday despite all threats against me, precisely, to show these people that I am not afraid of them,” he added.
The grave threat case is just one of the suits Trillanes is facing.
Paras and lawyer Manuelito Luna had filed complaints of inciting to sedition and conspiracy or proposal to commit coup d’etat before a Pasay prosecutor against the senator.
Trillanes is also facing a libel case before a Davao court.
Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 150 earlier upheld its issuance of a warrant against the senator in connection with a revived rebellion case over his involvement in the 2007 Manila Peninsula case.
Makati Judge Elmo Alameda stood by his earlier ruling that President Rodrigo Duterte’s Proclamation 572, which declared Trillanes’ amnesty as void from the beginning, had factual basis.
The senator’s lawyer, Reynaldo Robles, told Manila Times there was no truth to the report that an arrest warrant against Trillanes went out between 9 to 10am yesterday.
“There is no truth to that claim. We are not aware of any case where a warrant can be issued. That’s clearly fake news,” said Robles.
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