(Eagle News) — Senator Antonio Trillanes IV has expressed his intent to question a Makati court’s order upholding the legality of Proclamation No. 572 directly before the Supreme Court, where he earlier filed a petition seeking for the proclamation to be nullified.
In his urgent motion, manifestation and notice of appeal, Trillanes, through his legal counsel Reynaldo Robles, asked Judge Andres Soriano of Branch 148 of the Makati Regional Trial Court to allow him to appeal before the High Court that part of the judge’s Oct. 22 order, which also denied government prosecutors’ request for Trillanes to be arrested for coup d’etat.
In asking for the same, Trillanes, who has left for what he said were speaking engagements abroad, noted in his motion that seeking relief from the Court of Appeals was not possible, as such was tantamount to admitting the coup d’etat case against him had been re-opened.
Trillanes’ camp has already argued that case was already dismissed as early as 2011, but government prosecutors contend it is still existing following the issuance of Proclamation No. 572 that declared void ab initio the amnesty granted to the senator for his involvement in the Oakwood mutiny and the Manila Peninsula siege in 2003 and 2007, respectively.
The filing of the coup d’etat case and a separate rebellion case pending before another Makati court stem from those incidents.
According to Trillanes, he also could not file a separate petition for certiorari before the SC lest he be accused of forum shopping.
“[I]t is most respectfully submitted by herein former accused Trillanes that he can and should be allowed to appeal the said issue directly to the Honorable Supreme Court, in the same case which referred the issue(s) to this Honorable Court, particularly G.R. No. 241494,” the motion said.
