(Eagle News) – Vice-President Leni Robredo visited opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes IV at the Senate where he had been staying for the past three days, and criticized moves by the Duterte administration to allegedly “harass” the senator.
Explaining her visit, Robredo said she was already near the area, coming from a speaking engagement at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) so she decided to drop by.
“Naisip ko na malapit na rin [ako], makausap [ko] man lang si Senator Trillanes para maabutan ng suporta (I thought since i was already near, I might as well talk to Senator Trillanes to extend support),” Robredo said when asked by reporters before her meeting with Trillanes. She came from the Washington Sycip 12th National Education Summit held at the PICC.
Robredo claimed Proclamation No. 572 voiding the amnesty of Trillanes was “clear harassment” and that this move by President Rodrigo Duterte against the senator would only further unify the opposition.
“Yung nangyayari kay Sen. Trillanes, lalo pa niyang na-unify ’yung opposition, lalo pang binigyan ng dahilan para lalong magkaisa (What is happening to Sen. Trillanes has further unified the opposition. This is giving us reason to unite even more),” she said.
“Sa atin ay malinaw na panghaharass ito (For us, this is a clear harassment),” she said.
Robredo, head of the opposition Liberal Party, said she and the other opposition members know the real reason of the alleged harassment against Trillanes.
“Malinaw ang dahilan kung bakit ito ginagawa at mariin nating tinututulan ang ganitong paraan, ‘yung paggamit ng kapangyarihan para patahimikin ‘yung may hindi kaparehong paniniwala. (The reason is clear why this is being done, and we are strongly opposing this move – the use of power to silence those with different beliefs)” she claimed.
Robredo briefly stayed inside the office of Senate Minority Floor Leader Franklin Drilon, before going to Trillanes’ office where the senator had been staying since the news of the voiding of his amnesty and his possible arrest came out.
“Alam ko si Trillanes, kaya niya ‘yong sarili niya. Sa akin, malaman niya lang na hindi man kami magkapareho ng partido, alam namin na mali ’yung ginagawa sa kanya. Dahil mali ‘yong ginagwa sa kanya, nakikiisa kami sa kanya. (I know Trillanes can defend himself. For me, just for him to know that even though we belong to different [political] parties, we know that what is being done to him is wrong. Because [of this], we are sympathizing with him),” she said.
