Court denies Trillanes petition to attend Senate session

A Makati court has denied the motion of detained Senator Antonio Trillanes IV to attend the opening of the Senate session on July 26, the lawmaker's lawyer said Thursday. "The Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 148 denied our petition citing security risks and a previous ruling of the Supreme Court (SC)," said Reynaldo Robles, legal counsel of Trillanes. Robles was referring to the senator's motion filed last July 2 asking for a leave-from-detention to attend the opening of the Senate session. He said Judge Oscar Pimentel denied the motion, citing an SC ruling which had earlier denied Trillanes of going to the Senate five days a week. "(He said) such situation has already been decided with finality by the high court," he said. But Robles insisted that the situation this time is different because Trillanes is only asking the court for five hours outside detention. "Our position is [that] this is a different ruling... it's different, we intend to raise that," he said. The senator's lawyer earlier said that Trillanes' presence during the opening session is "critical" because this time, only 21 out of the 24 senators would likely be attending that day. Expected to be absent on July 26, apart from Trillanes, are Senator Panfilo Lacson and Benigno Aquino III. Lacson left the country early this year even before an arrest warrant was issued against him in connection with the Dacer-Corbito double murder case, while Aquino automatically dropped his senatorial seat when he won the presidency in the May 10 polls. Robles said that they "intend to exhaust all available legal means" so that the senator can fulfill his duties as an elected official. He said they plan to file an appeal on Friday. Trillanes was first jailed when he faced coup d’etat charges before the Makati City RTC Branch 148 for his participation in the July 27, 2003 Oakwood mutiny. He is also facing rebellion charges before the Makati City RTC Branch 150 for taking part in the Manila Peninsula hotel siege in November 2007. Trillanes also stands accused of violating Articles of War 96 (Conduct Unbecoming an Officer and Gentleman) before a military tribunal in connection with the Oakwood incident. He later posted a P200,000-bail before the Makati RTC Branch 150 "in anticipation of the possibility" that Pimentel would grant his motion for a leave-from-detention. — Kimberly Jane T. Tan/RSJ/JV, GMANews.TV