Lawyer reminds Aquino over opinion on Trillanes case

For expressing his "personal opinion" on the case against detained Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, President Benigno Aquino III got a reminder from a human rights lawyer representing Trillanes' fellow "rebel officers." As president, even his personal opinion can take a life of its own and become virtual "marching orders," human rights lawyer Theodore Te reminded Aquino. "The President's HO (humble opinion) gave all the wrong signals, policy wise. Moreover, it signaled a possible tectonic shift in terms of Executive-Judiciary relations — that the President would make a declaration that would have grave repercussions on the separation of powers," Te said in his web log. He was referring to Aquino's earlier order to Justice Secretary Leila de Lima to review the case of Trillanes, who he believes may have been a "victim of injustice." Te added the opinion involved a pending litigation. "I would be the first to argue and defend vigorously the President's right to hold a personal opinion on many things. However, because he is the President and because he said it publicly, his 'personal opinion' takes on a life of its own. It spills over not only into the public domain but it becomes 'marching orders' or, technically, policy. So when President Aquino III says in public IMHO [in my humble opinion] Senator Trillanes [IV] got a raw deal (certainly not a direct quote but it is the same message) and may not have been charged with the proper offense, it becomes much much more than his 'humble opinion.' It signals the Justice Secretary to initiate an investigation into what the proper charge/s should have been; which, in fact, the Justice Secretary has done and is now doing," Te said. Te added that while he should be "happy" that Aquino agrees with his assessment of Trillanes' co-accused in the coup charges, he was "greatly disturbed" over the legal advice Aquino got, such that he said it in public. He said Aquino's legal advisers ought to have not placed him in that spot and should have argued vigorously that such a declaration should not have been made public, even if it was the President's personal opinion. He added that while Aquino brought "refreshing change" to the Office, it is also a bane to a more effective handling of the Office, "that he has a personal opinion which may, in certain instances, have grave repercussions, such as the present situation with Trillanes." Unsolicited advice Te gave Aquino "unsolicited advice" to get people with "contrary opinions" who can pick his opinions apart and bring them to his circle of advisers. "If your or your close advisers' opinions hold against them, then you can be confident that it will pass muster in the courts of law as well as public opinion; but if they don't, then perhaps it might be time to recalibrate, rethink, revision, revise," he said. - LBG, RJAB Jr., GMANews.TV