Trillanes blames Ombudsman for Garcia plea bargain deal

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV on Wednesday pinned the blame on Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez for the controversial plea bargain agreement between the government and alleged plunderer former Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia, which led to Garcia being allowed to post bail after pleading guilty to the lesser offense of direct bribery. "We express outrage and condemnation doon po sa ginawa ng Ombudsman (over what the Ombudsman did)," Trillanes said in Camp Aguinaldo, the military’s main headquarters, after filing his application for amnesty. "Kailangan doon (Ombudsman) natin ituon ang galit natin kasi ang Ombudsman na iyan ay appointed ni GMA (Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo) at nandiyan siya ngayon to clear ang pagsasala ng nakaraang administrasyon," added Trillanes, a former Navy officer who is implicated in two botched attempts to overthrow the Arroyo administration. (We should put the blame on the Ombudsman because she is an Arroyo appointee and she’s there to cover up for the sins of the past administration.) Trillanes was among the soldiers who, in 2003 and 2007, seized posh hotels in Makati City and asked for the resignation of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, whom they accused of corruption. He was elected senator in 2007 while in detention for the 2003 mutiny. Gutierrez, a batch mate of former First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo at the Ateneo de Manila University Law School, is facing two impeachment complaints before the House of Representatives for allegedly sitting on cases involving the Arroyos. The Ombudsman is the government body that investigates and prosecutes government officials who are accused of wrongdoing. Trillanes, who also condemned the alleged corruption in the military during one of the uprisings, said they have already expressed their outrage against Garcia who, along with his wife and children, was charged with a P300-million plunder case before the Sandiganbayan for allegedly amassing wealth from bribery while he was still in active service. "Na-express na namin ang outrage ng lumabas iyan as early as 2004. Kaya for us to express it again parang misdirected ho iyon," said Trillanes, who previously held the Navy rank of Lieutenant Senior Grade. (We had already expressed outrage over Garcia when the issue came out in 2004, so for us to express it again would be directing our outrage to the wrong person.) Trillanes said he would support legal moves to oust Gutierrez from her post. Apart from Trillanes, 57 other alleged mutineers have applied for amnesty in the last two days. Those covered by the amnesty proclamation were soldiers who participated in the 2003 Oakwood mutiny, Feb. 2006 Marine standoff, and the Nov. 2007 Peninsula Manila siege. - KBK, GMANews.TV