SC decision on Trillanes' amnesty may affect his fellow mutineers: Lorenzana
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the Supreme Court's decision on the petition filed by Senator Antonio Trillanes IV may have an impact on his fellow Magdalo mutineers.
“They are similarly situated, yes, but let’s see, it’s up to the Supreme Court. If others have (the) right papers, it will be up to the proper authority now to determine. Those who do not have right (documents) they have to redo,” Lorenzana told reporters in Camp Aguinaldo Monday.
“I think, from what I saw they were more than a hundred, (Former Defense) Secretary (Voltaire) Gazmin signed number of pages,” he added.
Lorenzana did not say if it was only the amnesty application of Trillanes missing from the military records but he also expressed belief that the senator was not singled out by Solicitor General Jose Calida.
Lorenzana said Calida was asking for amnesty records of Trillanes and his group.
“He asked me personally by phone, to get the amnesty records at the Department of National Defense and at the (Armed Forces of the Philippines) AFP so I provided him. I remember that was August 16,” he said.
“What SolGen Calida did was he sent his personnel here to research,” he added.
Lorenzana said he was not consulted by President Rodrigo Duterte when it signed the presidential proclamation to revoke the amnesty granted for Trillanes.
The defense chief also refused to give any comment as Trillanes had filed a petition before the Supreme Court.
“The question on amnesty is already there at the Supreme Court. Let the Supreme Court decide on that if there is merits or demerits on the arguments of both sides. I don’t want to say anything on that because there are a lot of conflicting statement,” he said. Robina Asido/DMS
