Detention won't hamper Senate work - Trillanes lawyer

AMITA LEGASPI, GMANews.TV

06/14/2007 | 03:30 PM

Former Navy Lieutenant Senior Grade Antonio Trillanes IV's continued detention will not deter him from serving his mandate as one of the country' senators, his lawyer Reynaldo Robles said.

In a chance interview Thursday, Robles believed Trillanes will be a more focused senator because he has no other things to do except to concentrate on law-making.

"Nakikita kong lalo nga siyang magiging focus sa trabaho niya kasi imagine-in mo siya ay gagawa ng batas..paggising niya wala naman siyang ibang gagawn kundi magtrabaho," he said.

He added: "Hindi siya pwede magbulakbol, hindi siya puwedeng mamasyal sa mall o hindi siya pwedeng mag-night club. So, sa tingin ko mas magiging focus siya sa trabaho niya."

Robles further said his client "will try to work in accordance sa kinommit niyang legislative program."

He said Trillanes have at least 20 proposed bills ranging from anti-corruption, poverty alleviation and education.

"I think he is preparing those bills and hopefully mai-file as soon as ma-open ang Senado," he said.

He further said one of Trillanes' principal advocacies is reforms in the Armed Forces of the Philippines .

"Ang paniwala niya dahil nakita nila bilang mga sundalo yung mga problema sa AFP, ang paniwala niya ay makakatulong siya sa pagreresolve ng mga problema," Robles said.

But first things first, Robles expressed hope the Department of Justice would not oppose their motion for the temporary release of Trillanes from detention to attend the proclamation at the Comelec main office in Intramuros, Manila.

This, despite the mixed signals Trillanes' group had been receiving from state prosecutors.

The Comelec had earlier said Trillanes' proclamation was scheduled 9:30 a.m. Friday.

"On June 7, Assistant State Prosecutor Richard Anthony Fadullon said that they will not oppose but I also saw on TV Assistant State Prosecutor Juan Pedro Navera saying that they will oppose so medyo mixed signals pero I'd rather believe na yung paglabas kay Capt. Trillanes ay kagustuhan ng taumbayan siguro naman ay marapat pagbigyan yung proclamation lang...hindi naman ito humihingi na palabasin siya ng matagal e, ilang oras lang naman yun," he said.

He further said the votes for Trillanes were a combination of those who believe in him, those who were not satisfied with the current administration or protest votes and those who count on him being a public servant.

Robles believed Trillanes is the first senator elected from prison.

He said they would ask the court to allow his client to attend Senate sessions.

"Ang sabi sa akin ni Capt. Trillanes ayaw niyang abusuhin ang tiwala ng taumbayan. He does not want to use this as a ticket, as a way out dun sa kanyang detention," he said.

He added: "Walang problema sa kanya kung kailangang umuwi siya sa selda pag gabi ang importante lang gusto niya makapagsilbi sa taumbayan in accordance with the mandate given to him by the people." - GMANews.TV

Trillanes is newest senator; proclamation set on Friday

AMITA LEGASPI, GMANews.TV

06/14/2007 | 11:47 AM

(Updated 12:30 p.m.) The National Board of Canvassers (NBC) will proclaim on Friday this week former Navy Lieutenant Senior Grade Antonio Trillanes IV as the 11th winning senatorial candidate of the May 14 polls.

Trillanes, a participant in the failed Oakwood Mutiny in 2003, was finally considered a winner after the NBC counted the votes from Surigao del Norte. He took 16th place there with 44,604 votes, giving him a nationwide total of 11,138,067.

This leaves Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III, a colleague of Trillanes at the Genuine Opposition (GO), and Juan Miguel Zubiri of Team Unity as the contenders for the final slot in the Magic 12.

Trillanes now leads Pimentel by 272,666 and Zubiri, by 384,227.

The NBC still has to tabulate votes from Maguindanao which has 337,108 registered voters and 12 precincts in Basilan at least 31,000 voters.

"I really believe it is mathematically impossible to overcome the lead of Mr. Trillanes. In view of this, the board has decided to have a partial proclamation again, in favor of Mr. Trillanes," said Benjamin Abalos, chair of the NBC and the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

"The board has decided to have a partial proclamation again tomorrow morning (9:30 a.m.) before the Maguindanao hearing," he said.

In a radio interview, GO spokesman Adel Tamano expressed elation with the development.

Tamano said that, "We are very happy with that. That's wonderful news."

He urged Trillanes' counsel Rey Robles to immediately ask the court to allow the winning candidate to attend the proclamation rites tomorrow.

"Our preference is that during the proclamation, that he be physically there," Tamano added.

Tamano noted that NBC's decision came a day after GO urged elections commissioners to proclaim Trillanes. GO then said that the waiting time would leave a window for the administration to rig the poll results.

Robles, in a separate interview on dzBB radio, said every legal effort would be done to bring Trillanes to the NBC proclamation.

"We will be working on that, we will do our best ... we are hopeful that Makati regional trial court-Branch 148 will grant our request," Robles said in Filipino.

He added that, "I think Senator Trillanes' request is such a small thing (maliit na bagay lang)."

Trillanes, a member of the mutinous Magdalo group, is currently detained at the Philippine Marine Corps headquarters in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.

He has been charged with coup d' etat over the Oakwood Mutiny and is undergoing court martial proceedings.

Trillanes is the fourth graduate of the Philippine Military Academy to make up the new Senate. He is a member of PMA Class '95.

Other PMA alumni are Senators Rodolfo Biazon of Class '61, as well as classmates Gregorio Honasan and Panfilo Lacson of Class '71.

Political analysts had earlier warned that a supposed "military bloc" would wield tremendous influence in the Senate. - GMANews.TV

SALAMAT

MGA KAIBIGAN KO, SALAMAT

To all our Volunteers, Supporters, and all Filipinos who believed there is hope for our Motherland,

The past 90 days had truly been anastonishing experience.

At first, I had fears that my candidacy, platform and message would be unacceptable to the Filipino people. But as the campaign period went by it was apparent that such was not the case.

In fact, by the firstweek of March, when our resources wereabout to be depleted, our campaign had been practically sustained and carried forth by anintense spirit of volunteerism all over the country and from all walks of life. This, plus the outpouring of good will and support from the different sectors of society, made our moral victory complete. Yes, there is hope for our country. YOU ARE THAT HOPE.

I admit that we still have a long way togo before we can claimelectoral victory and, as I have said before, I expect this administration to cheat. Hence, weshould not put our guard down.

We must continue to be vigilant in thecoming days to ensure that your collective will is respected and upheld. To all of you, who participated or supported in any way in this campaign, I give my whole-heartedthanks. You will forever be my inspiration, my motivation and my strength.

May God Bless our Country!

ANTONIO FUENTES TRILLANES IV

Trillanes has only five poll watchers, mom says

Trillanes has only five poll watchers, mom says

By Edson C. Tandoc Jr.InquirerLast updated 01:14am (Mla time) 05/18/2007

MANILA, Philippines -- Seeing her son in and out of the Magic 12 as the canvassing of votes for senatorial candidates continues, the 68-year-old mother of detained mutiny leader Antonio Trillanes IV is not at all nervous.
"From the beginning, I have offered everything to God. That is why I don't feel stressed," Estelita Trillanes told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in a phone interview on Thursday.

Not even the threat of cheating worries her: "You know, when you pray, no evil can overtake you. Dagdag-bawas (vote padding and shaving) is considered evil. How can evil overtake goodness?"

The voices of her grandchildren playing could be heard as she spoke on the phone. She said she was in the house of one of her daughters.

Trillanes' mother was instrumental in ending the Oakwood mutiny on July 27, 2003 when she personally met with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in an attempt to save her son as the ultimatum for the mutineers’ surrender neared.

On Thursday, she was monitoring the canvassing of votes through news reports. She said her family did not have enough money to pay for poll watchers.

Trillanes of the Genuine Opposition has volunteers, but there are only five of them watching the official canvassing at the Philippine International Convention Center and only two monitoring the quick count by the National Citizen's Movement for Free Elections.

"We are leaving it to the Genuine Opposition. We cannot afford individual watchers," the mother said.

Her son's strong showing, despite being behind bars and campaigning with limited funds, did not surprise her.

"We saw during the campaign the attitude of people toward my son. They would approach his campaign volunteers to ask for calendars. Some donated calendars and shirts," she said.

Mrs Trillanes was not active during the campaign, saying she was already too weak to go around places. But she said she asked her friends and relatives to support her son.

In the latest tally of the Commission on Elections as of 5:54 p.m. Thursday, Trillanes placed 10th with 80,823 votes.

Trillanes thanks voters for ‘astonishing’ run

Trillanes thanks voters for ‘astonishing’ run

05/18/2007 08:07 AM

Even as he remains in detention for rebellion charges, opposition senatorial bet Antonio Trillanes IV thanked his volunteers and supporters for fueling his “astonishing" campaign run.

Trillanes posted the message dated Wednesday in a statement on his blog site (magdaloparasapagbabago.blogspot.com), even as he called on his supporters to remain vigilant.

“I admit that we still have a long way to go before we can claim electoral victory and, as I have said before, I expect this administration to cheat. Hence, we should not put our guard down. We must continue to be vigilant in the coming days to ensure that your collective will is respected and upheld," he said in his message.

Still, he said the past 90-day campaign period had “truly been an astonishing experience," where he admitted fears his candidacy would be unacceptable to the Filipino people.

Trillanes, who faces rebellion charges over the Oakwood Mutiny of 2003, spent most of the campaign period from his detention facility.His family joined the Genuine Opposition (GO) in campaigning for him during the 90-day campaign.

Trillanes addressed the GO miting de avance last May 11 through a videotaped message.“As the campaign period went by it was apparent that such was not the case.

In fact, by the first week of March, when our resources were about to be depleted, our campaign had been practically sustained and carried forth by an intense spirit of volunteerism all over the country and from all walks of life. This, plus the outpouring of goodwill and support from the different sectors of society, made our moral victory complete.

Yes, there is hope for our country. YOU ARE THAT HOPE," Trillanes said in his message.He relayed his “whole-hearted thanks" to those who participated or supported in any way in his campaign.“You will forever be my inspiration, my motivation and my strength. May God Bless our Country!" he said. - GMANews.TV

MARAMI PONG SALAMAT!

MARAMI PONG SALAMAT SA SUPORTA AT PAGTITIWALA!

MABUHAY ANG MALAYA AT MARANGAL NA FILIPINO!

Trillanes hangs on to Magic 12

Trillanes hangs on to Magic 12

By Cathy C. Yamsuan, Nikko DizonInquirerLast updated 04:06am (Mla time) 05/17/2007
MANILA, Philippines -- It was 8-2-2 in favor of the Genuine Opposition (GO) as of 9:11

Wednesday night in the quick count by the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections.
GO increased its lead over the administration’s Team Unity (TU) in the official count of the overseas absentee votes.

It was 8-3-1 for GO, according to partial results of the canvassing presided over by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc sitting as the National Board of Canvassers.
After slipping out of the Magic 12 in early tabulation Wednesday, Antonio Trillanes IV moved up to 11th place based on Namfrel’s tally as of 9:11 Wednesday night.

TU’s Juan Miguel Zubiri who earlier placed 12th in the winning circle dropped to No. 13 with Trillanes’ reentry.

From 8th place, Trillanes slid to 13th place Wednesday afternoon before climbing to 11th place Wednesday night. TU’s Edgardo Angara and Joker Arroyo maintained their steady climb in the Magic 12 in the Namfrel count.

GO’s Francis Escudero, who was trailing fellow GO candidate Loren Legarda Wednesday afternoon, captured the top slot Wednesday night but by a very narrow margin of 116 votes.
GO’s Alan Peter Cayetano climbed to 9th place from 10th, exchanging places with independent Gregorio Honasan who slid to 10th. Aquilino Pimentel III of GO dropped from 11th place to 12th.

The women’s group Gabriela was the front-runner among party-list groups, followed by Buhay and Bayan Muna.

At its headquarters at the La Salle gym in Greenhills, San Juan, Namfrel had so far counted votes from 24,394 precincts from all regions.

Results from 15 countries

Over at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City, the official Comelec tabulation of the certificates of canvass (CoCs) for the senatorial elections began Wednesday with results from 15 countries and a US territory in the overseas absentee voting.
The votes came from the following countries: Laos, Papua New Guinea, Cambodia, South Korea, Austria, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Netherlands, Japan, India, Thailand, Bahrain, and Palau, a US territory.

There were a total of 38,469 registered voters in these places but only 5,742 or almost 15 percent voted in May.

Only one voted in Slovenia. No votes were cast in Kiribati and Solomon Islands.
Angara rose from 11th place at the start of the Namfrel tabulation Tuesday morning to 7th place Wednesday night, while Arroyo climbed from 12th to 8th place.

Legarda topped tabulations in Regions 1, 2, 8, 11, 12 and the Cordillera Administrative Region.
Escudero was No. 1 in Metro Manila, Regions 4, 5 and 10, the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and the Caraga region.

Angara remained in 1st place in Central Luzon and Region 7.

Panfilo Lacson of GO was No. 1 in Region 9 tabulations and maintained his 3rd place standing in the Namfrel count with 996,017 votes.

GO guest candidate Manuel Villar was first in Region 6 and placed fourth on the Namfrel list.
Independent candidate Francis Pangilinan was steady at No. 5.
Benigno Aquino III also maintained his standing in 6th place.

Trailing Trillanes

Trailing Trillanes were Pimentel, Zubiri, TU’s Ralph Recto at No. 14; Prospero Pichay at No. 15 and Michael Defensor at No. 16.

GO’s Sonia Roco was in 17th place followed by TU’s Cesar Montano and GO’s John Osmeña.
Along with Trillanes, Roco and Osmeña’s rankings dropped dramatically as tabulations from the various regions came in Wednesday.

Roco started in 13th place when Namfrel began its tabulation. Osmeña initially was in 16th place.

Pichay enjoyed a steady climb from No. 18 since Namfrel began its count.

Comelec count

In the Comelec count, Pangilinan was in 1st place, followed by Legarda. Aquino was in 3rd place; Villar, 4th, and Escudero, 5th. Arroyo was in 6th place; Lacson, 7th; Cayetano, 8th; Angara, 9th; Pimentel, 10th; Roco, 11th, and Defensor, 12th.

Zubiri was in 13th place, followed by Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, Honasan and Osmeña.

The canvassing will resume Thursday at 10 a.m. with CoCs from Malaysia and vote-rich Hong Kong.

At a press conference, Comelec Chair Benjamin Abalos Sr. said that the National Board of Canvassers (NBC) hoped to complete the canvassing for both OAV and CoCs from the provinces and Metro Manila “within 10 days” and proclaim the winners.

Abalos said that the NBC might partially canvass the CoCs in the 13 municipalities in Lanao del Sur depending on the election results there following a yet-to-be-scheduled special elections in the province.

“If the result of the 13 municipalities could no longer affect the result of the national position for senators, then we would not have to wait for the results of the special elections,” Abalos said.
Roco’s visit

Roco paid a visit to the Namfrel headquarters Wednesday night, intending to ask which areas in Mindanao the citizen’s arm had already included in its tabulation.

In a chance interview, Roco expressed concern over “30 towns in Mindanao” where the Commission on Elections had declared a failure of elections.

“This is a recurring phenomenon, or event, that every election, that a failure of elections is declared in certain towns, usually in the same places. They (authorities) should hold the elections in these places in the next 15 days,” she said.

Roco noted that an estimated 300,000 votes could still be counted from the problematic areas, a number that is significant enough to alter the outcome of the senatorial race.

Still, Roco expressed confidence that her current rank would still improve because both Namfrel and Comelec tabulations were still in their early stages of counting. With reports from Kristine Mangunay, Aaron John del Rosario, Cyrian Agujo and Nathaniel Melican