Magdalo lawyer joins critics of presidential amnesty for mutineers

Even if his clients stand to benefit from President Benigno Aquino III's amnesty proclamation, a lawyer of some of the Magdalo soldiers on Thursday joined critics of the move. Rights lawyer Theodore Te said the timing of the amnesty not only gave the impression that Malacañang was preempting the courts, but can also demoralize the judiciary. "The promulgation for the Oakwood takeover is on October 28, 2010. Perhaps the more prudent way forward would have been to wait for the promulgation and, if necessary, issue the amnesty proclamation; if necessary, meaning the accused are convicted. Issuing an amnesty proclamation ahead of the promulgation sends a clear message to the prosecution: the seven-year trial doesn't really count for much," Te said on his web log. Te sits as counsel to four of the accused in the Oakwood takeover in July 2003. "I am confident that my clients will be acquitted. My comments on the propriety of the timing of the amnesty proclamation are my own, not my clients'," he said. On Monday, Aquino signed Proclamation 50, which grants amnesty to over 300 soldiers linked to three military uprisings against the Arroyo administration. The soldiers linked to the three uprisings included detained Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV. Malacañang has maintained that there was no attempt to preempt the judiciary when Proclamation 50 was signed. — LBG, GMANews.TV