Palace: Trillanes case review not encroaching on judiciary

Malacañang on Saturday reassured the judiciary President Benigno Aquino III is not encroaching on its territory when he ordered a review of detained Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV’s request for bail. Presidential Communications Group official Herminio Coloma said the order to review can be done by the Department of Justice (DOJ), which is under the executive branch. “Wala namang intention ang ating executive department, lalo ang pangulo, na tumawid sa linya at hindi igalang ang karapatan na sakop ng judiciary (There is never any intention from the executive department, much less the president, to cross the line and disrespect the judiciary)," Coloma said on government-run dzRB radio. On Friday, Aquino ordered the DOJ to review Trillanes’ request for bail, saying Trillanes may have been a victim of injustice. He pointed out Trillanes was first jailed because he faced coup charges before a Makati City court for his participation in the so-called Oakwood Mutiny on July 27, 2003. Later, Trillanes also faced rebellion charges before another Makati City court for supposedly taking part in the so-called Manila Peninsula hotel siege in November 2007. Earlier, Trillanes posted a P200,000 bail before the Makati RTC Branch 150 “in anticipation of the possibility" that Judge Oscar Pimentel of the Makati RTC branch 148 would grant his earlier motion for a leave-from-detention to attend the opening of the Senate session July 26. Trillanes is now detained at the Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame. “Di naman [ito pakikialam] kasi yung DOJ meron ding responsibilidad, kasama ito sa criminal justice system natin (This is not interfering with the judiciary because the DOJ has the responsibility to review. This is part of our criminal justice system)," Coloma said. On the other hand, Coloma fended off speculations that Aquino wants Trillanes to attend the Senate session on July 26 so the detained senator can support Liberal Party Sen. Francis Pangilinan’s bid for the Senate presidency. “Masyado na yatang malayo, I think speculative na ang ganyang klaseng pagturing. I-limit natin sa kautusan na ire-review ang kaso (I think that’s already going too far. It is speculative. Let’s limit the discussion to the review of the case)," he said. He also declined to comment on speculations that Aquino will grant amnesty to coup plotters like what former President Fidel Ramos did to plotters who sought to overthrow Aquino’s late mother Corazon "Cory" Aquino. “Wala pa tayo sa aspetong yan, huwag muna natin puntahan yan (We are not in that stage. Let’s not dwell on that now)," he said. — LBG, GMANews.TV