MANILA – Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV cannot locate his own copy of the amnesty application form he filed when he sought for the probation during the time of former president Benigno Aquino III.
Trillanes’ legal counsel Atty. Reynaldo Robles said they are still finding the senator’s copy as required by the Makati City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 150 Judge Elmo Alameda during a hearing last Friday.
Robles added that they have presented as evidence a video footage of the actual filing of application form of Trillanes before a certain Colonel Josefa Berbigal but was told by Alameda that they are not after “secondary evidence.”
Trillanes’ camp also presented the senator’s amnesty certificate, photos of the senator holding a copy of his application and the memorandum to the Department of National Defense Ad Hoc Committee.
“The judge said that he needs the actual application but [Trillanes] cannot find his copy,” Robles said. “The application form is a proof that he has complied with the basic requirements for an amnesty.”
“While, Judge Alameda said that the video is not authenticated, we will present additional proof to authenticate our evidence,” he added. “We will also secure an affidavit from Berbigal, the one who received Trillanes’ application form.”
Makati City RTC Branch 150 handled Trillanes’ rebellion case for taking over the Manila Peninsula in 2007.
The case was dismissed in 2011 after Trillanes was given amnesty.
Alameda defers issuing an arrest warrant and hold departure order against Trillanes as he gave the Department of Justice five days to submit a formal comment on the opposition to the petition./PN