Press Release
December 1, 2007

SANTIAGO'S MOVE TO EXPEL TRILLANES OPPOSED

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Nene" Q. Pimentel, Jr. (PDP-Laban) today said he will oppose a move initiated by Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago to suspend or expel Sen. Antonio Trillanes from the Senate for leading a group of renegade soldiers in occupying the Peninsula Hotel in Makati City and calling anew for the ouster of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Pimentel said offenses committed by Trillanes properly fall more under the jurisdiction of the judiciary, rather than the Senate.

In fact, he pointed out that Trillanes has already been slapped with new charges of rebellion by justice and law enforcement authorities and it would be up to the courts to act upon them.

Pimentel said he is saddened by the plan of Santiago to file a resolution for Trillanes to be investigated by the committee on ethics and privileges in a bid to impose disciplinary sanctions on the neophyte senator in connection with the Makati incident.

"Miriam is my friend, but I have to oppose her move. Sen. Trillanes is already being punished. In my view, it is not right that he will be punished again by the Senate."

It would be unfair to punish Trillanes with suspension or expulsion because in the first place, he has not been allowed by the courts to perform his official functions by way of attending the sessions and hearings of the Senate due to the pending coup charges against him in connection with the 2003 Oakwood mutiny.

Pimentel said that after Santiago files her resolution, it will be debated by the senators on the floor to determine if there is a basis to pursue the investigation before it is referred to the appropriate committee.

"But I will oppose any move to impose disciplinary sanctions on Sen. Trillanes. It is enough that he has been arrested and jailed by to the authorities and charged formally with the courts. Let justice take its course."

Upon the convening of the 14th regular session, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution calling on Malacañang and the judiciary to allow Trillanes to attend the sessions and hearings of the Senate in keeping with the mandate granted to him by the people as an elected senator. But this appeal was rejected by the Makati Regional Trial Court. This was one of the main reasons which motivated Trillanes to walk out of his court trial in defiance of the law.

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