PRIVILEGE SPEECH

In re Proclamation No. 572 series of 2018

 

Magandang hapon po sa ating lahat.

I rise on a matter of personal privilege, as a Member of this House, as representative of my constituents in the 6^thDistrict of Quezon City, and as a person granted amnesty in 2011. I rise on collective privilege for all equally situated persons, and as someone who was prosecuted when I took on the engagement as legal counsel for the then Magdalo soldiers.

Before I continue, let me extend my heartfelt congratulations to Solicitor General Jose Calida—

Mr. Calida, sir, you did a good job silencing another irritant of this administration. Nakakarami na kayo. And I understand, unbeaten ang track record ninyo sa Supreme Court.

As Solicitor General, you continue to enrich our jurisprudence. Kung may basketball team ang Office of the Solicitor General, maganda siguro ipangalan ninyo ng The Quo Warranto’s.

It seems that Senator  Trillanes’ amnesty revocation is another application of the same theory. No less than the AFP Spokesperson has publicly admitted that your actions led to the issuance of a certification that there was no available copy of Senator Trillanes’ application for amnesty, hence he did not file an application. And that incomplete ang requirements kasi walang admission of guilt, so therefore, void ab initio ang amnesty and everything reverts back to the situation before the amnesty proclamation. Di ba ito rin ang teorya sa pagtanggal kay Chief Justice Sereno?

Madam Speaker, colleagues, I request for your indulgence: for, today, I speak out of fear. In 2011, I was granted amnesty by then President Benigno Simeon Aquino. I was one among four other civilians whose applications for amnesty were favorably acted upon. By virtue of the amnesty, I embraced my calling as a representative of my constituents and I was embraced back. Being on my second term, I would like to think that I have done well by my constituents having brought to the best of my abilities, crucial projects, services, and programs for the benefit and development of my District, while working hand in hand with both the national government and the local government regardless of politics or political affiliation.

Proclamation No. 572, published in the newspapers yesterday, 04 September 2018, is unconstitutional. Isang tahasang paglabag ito ng ating Saligang Batas.

Nevermind that the application for amnesty by Senator Trillanes was sufficientlyy covered by the media. A recorded interview even included an official of the Department of National Defense outlining the tedious process—from receiving applications, assessing and processing of these applications, waiting for oppositions for a period of fifteen days from publication, final processing—leading to the grant of amnesty and the issuance of a Certificate of Amnesty. For the government to claim, now, seven years after Senator Trillanes was granted amnesty, that a form was not filed is highly irregular.

 

Ano ang sinasabing effects ng Proclamation No. 572?

In its Section 2, the Department of Justice and the Courts Martial were ordered to (one) pursue all criminal and administrative cases filed against Senator Trillanes in relation to the Oakwood Mutiny and (two) apprehend Senator Trillanes so he can be recommited.

Ano pa ang kasong itutuloy kung naipadissmiss na ito noong 2011? Ano ang basehan ng pagkulong kung walang pagkukuhanan ng arrest warrant? Ang arrest warrant ay ini-issue ng korte sa isang criminal case laban sa isang akusado. Kung walang pending na kaso walang warrant na mai-issue.

That this proclamation has a built-in arrest order makes it clearly unconstitutional, korte lang ang pwedeng mag-issue ng warrant. But sadly, the AFP may just follow it because they are required to execute orders without questions.

Malinaw sa batas na ang amnesty ay nagbubura ng mga nagawa ng isang tao. As discussed in Barrioquinto vs. Ernriquei, a 1949 case, “amnesty abolishes and puts into oblivion the offense itself, it so overlooks and obliterates the offense with which he is charged, that the person released stands before the law precisely as though he had committed no offense.”

Having been granted amnesty, Sen. Trilanes filed a motion to dismiss his case before the Makati Regional Trial Court for coup d’etat. Said motion was granted by the court in an order dated 21 September 2011. Kung wala nang kaso, ano ang basehan ng pagkulong?

Hindi po nag-iisa si Senator Trillanes sa mga taong nanganganib ma-review ang amnesty kapag pinayagan natin ang pag-implement ng Proclamation No. 572.There were 19 officers and 20 enlisted personnel whose applications for amnesty were approved by the Department of National Defense in the same approval for Senator Trillanes. In total, there were one hundred ninety-two (192) personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines who were granted amnesty. Kawawa naman ang mga nasa DND na kinailangang halughugin ang mga files na ito para hanapin ang application ni Sen. Trillanes.

Ang amnesty ay isang politikal na desisyon na nagsasabing niyayakap ng gobyerno ang maaring maitulong ng isang grantee nito sa ating bansa. It is a grant of second chances. It is a reaching out in the name of unity. It is a signal that we have chosen to move forward as a nation.

Sino pa nga ba ang mga tao na nag-apply at nabigyan ng amnesty?

Nandito kami ni Congressman Gary Alejanong Magdalo Party List.

Andiyan si Civil Defense Deputy Administrator Nicanor Faeldon, na na-appoint ng Presidente Duterte at tumutugon tuwing mayroon natural disaster. Bago pa man na-i-appoint sa Civil Defense ay namuno na rin si Nick sa ating anti-smuggling efforts sa Bureau of Customs.

Andiyan si Chairman Danilo Lim na patuloy na nakaupo sa Metro Manila Development Authority at nagbibigay solusyon sa ating problema sa traffic. Mahirap ang trabaho, pero patuloy na gumagalaw para sa bayan.

Then what about those involved during those times who refused amnesty, pero nakinabang sila by virtue of the dimsissal of all cases? Then Major Jason Aquino, our current NFA Administrator comes to mind. Unlike Senator Trillanes, wala silang admissions at all, pero nakinabang sila. I know of other in positions of responsibility – in the CAAP, in the DND, in PDEA, Customs and other government agencies and private sector corporations.

 

Also, there are those who were lucky enouch not to be prosecuted at all. I see them all over the place, even holding prominent positions even in Malacañang.

So pagnapuno na ang powers that be, hindi lang sa katulad ni Senator Trillanes na maingay na oposisyon, kundi pati na rin sa mga hindi maka-harang sa tuloy tuloy na drug smuggling sa Customs, sa sloppy disaster response, sa patuloy na pagtindi ng traffic, sa palyadong airport, sa rampant inflation, o sa krisis ng bigas, pwede na ring gamitin ang doctrine na yan para ipakulong sila.

Amnesty offers a chance to return and be a better member of society. It obliterates the supposed crime committed by the grantee, unlike pardon, which merely forgives the perpetrator.

If there is any premium in accepting amnesty, it is standing tall in recognition of one’s own shortcomings.

Proclamation 572 is clearly another tool of political persecution. And this holds true regardless of how we may feel about Sen. Trillanes, of how we may disagree with his stance, his poisitions, or his principles. The fact remains that Proclamation No. 572 finds no basis in fact or in law.

May nagtanong nga sa akin galing sa aking Distrito; pag di nila makita ang marriage certificate ko or nag-allegation na hindi whole hearted ang marriage vows ko ay wala na bang maghahabol sa akin ng paying dahil hindi na ako kasal?

Uso ngayon ang pag-erase; uso ngayon ang pagpindot sa restart button; uso ngayon ang makalimot; uso ngayon ang walang forever. This is the context behind the quo warrantoand the  void ab initiotheory.

Uso na talaga ngayon ang political persecution, uso na talaga ngayon ang makalimutan ang nakaraan. Uso ngayon ang gumawa ng issue para pagtakpan ang mas malaking problema. Pero hindi parin nawawala sa uso ang pangungurakot.

Tila nalimutan na natin ang panahon ng Diktadura. Hindi ko po makakalimutan ang panahon na yun, Mr. Speaker. Masyadong madami sa ating mga kababayan ang nagbigay ng kanilang kabataan, nagbuhos ng dugo, pawis at buhay para kalabanin ang mga ito para pumayag bumalik lang ang lahat.

Sabi ni Rizal, ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makakarating sa paroroonan. Paano na ang pagbabago kung ganun Madam Speaker? Inaamin ko Mr. Speaker, natatakot ako. Pero sanay na akong matakot para sa sarili ko. Mas takot ako para sa mga anak ko, para sa mga anak natin.

 

Muli, magandang hapon po sa ating lahat.

 

Nagpapasalamat po ako sa mga sumuporta at naki-isa sa pagtataguyod ng batas na ito. Tuloy ang laban para sa pag pasa ng Senado! #MulasaBayan #ParasaBayan

 

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