Trillanes ready to mediate with Aquino, AFP for junior officers

After being detained for more than seven years, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV is ready to act as a mediator between the junior officers and the military leadership, including their commander-in-chief, President Benigno Simeon Aquino III. Trillanes said as a former soldier and an elected lawmaker, he is in a position to bridge the gap between the officers and their leaders. "Kung may junior officers na may grievances, ang gagawin ko dadalhin ko sa kinauukulan. Kakausapin ko ang Chief of Staff ... or I can talk directly to the President," he said in an interview on dwIZ radio on Wednesday. Trillanes was a guest at the Senate's weekly kapihan forum. (If there are junior officers with grievances, I can help them bring them to the concerned authorities. I can talk to the Armed Forces chief of staff or even talk directly to the President.) "I am in a position to do that, para walang sundalong kailangang makulong kung di sila napakinggan," he added. (I am in a position to do that, so soldiers with unaddressed grievances need not be jailed.) On Monday night, Trillanes gained temporary freedom after a Makati court allowed his release to the custody of the Senate. But he said he will eventually apply to avail of the amnesty declared by President Benigno Aquino III. Trillanes was detained since 2003 for leading a mutiny in Makati City against the Arroyo administration, over alleged corruption in the military establishment. He was elected to a Senate seat despite campaigning from his detention cell but was arrested anew in 2007 after leading a siege of a Makati City hotel. In both cases, Trillanes said he does not regret his actions because he was airing grievances that he said were not addressed by the previous administration. "I'll say, I'll admit tumayo ako, lumaban ako sa isang napaka-corrupt na administrasyon (I stood up and fought a corrupt administration) and I'll never deny that," he said. AFP ready to move forward Meanwhile, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said it is ready to "move forward" as far as the issues concerning Trillanes' mutiny cases in 2003 and 2007 are concerned. "Being in the chain of command, we will have to move forward. These are forgettable moments sa institution natin (in our institution)," AFP spokesman Brig. Gen. Jose Mabanta Jr. said in an interview on dzBB radio. Mabanta added the AFP will "have to move on because we have a new government and a new administration." No more politics Trillanes said while he supported Senator Manuel Villar Jr.'s failed presidential bid in May, he now supports President Benigno Simeon Aquino III because of his clear mandate. "Nagsalita na ang taumbayan, siya ang gusto bilang presidente. Hindi namin pwede kontrahin yan (The people have spoken, they want Aquino as president. We cannot defy that)," he said. No apologies When asked if his seven-year detention for defying the Arroyo administration was worth it, Trillanes said it was. He said he accepts that the repercussions of his detention on his family are part of his fate. "I believe so. Yan ang binigay sa ating landas, tatanggapin natin yan. Kung sulit ang pagkakulong, di natin masabi at this moment. When we are a tout deathbed makikita natin yan. Marami tayong natutunan, maraming tinamaan, aking pamilya at anak. Di mawawala ang nawalang panahon they could not live normal lives as a growing child," he said. (I believe it was worth it. This is the road fate led me to, and I accept it. As to whether my detention was worth it, it is too early to say. We learned much from that experience but at the cost of my children growing up normally.) Still, he said he will not apologize to former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Arroyo. "I believe it's a matter of conviction," he said. – VVP, GMANews.TV