Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Sen. Antonio Trillanes was at the Department of Justice (DOJ) early morning on Thursday (August 13) for a preliminary hearing on his libel case.
Trillanes filed a counter-affidavit, asking the DOJ to dismiss the case. He said the justice department has no jurisdiction over his libel case.
The senator also insisted he cannot be charged with libel because the allegations were made during a Senate hearing.
Trillanes invoked parliamentary immunity, saying the allegations he made against the Makati mayor are protected by his rights as a lawmaker. He argued he committed the act while performing his duties as a member of the Senate Blue Ribbon sub-committee.
“I believe trabaho ko yan. Dahil kung bawat salita ng mga senador ay pwede kang kasuhan, wala na. Di na kami makakagalaw, hindi na namin magagawa trabaho namin,” Trillanes said.
[Translation: “I believe it’s my job. If every senator can be charged for what he says, it will be useless. We cannot take action and we will not be able to do our job anymore.”]
Assuming that his statements are libelous, Trillanes said it is the Senate ethics committee and not the DOJ that has jurisdiction over the case.
But Trillanes said he is bent on proving the payoff.
According to Trillanes, he is communicating with the appellate court’s ethics committee, which is carrying out an internal probe on the two justices who, according to Trillanes, are in Binay’s pocket.
With confidence, Trillanes told the media: “Meron po akong basis, meron tayong impormasyon, may nagbigay sa atin, merong testigo.”
[Translation: I have basis, I have information that was voluntarily given to me, and I have a witness.]
Suspended Makati Mayor Jejomar “JunJun” Binay, Jr. slapped the senator with a libel case earlier this year over allegations of bribery at the Court of Appeals.
The senator alleged that Binay bribed Associate Justices Francisco Acosta and Jose Reyes Jr. of the Sixth Division with P25 million each to issue a temporary restraining order on the Ombudsman’s preventive suspension order against the Makati mayor.
Binay’s camp to pursue libel case
Binay’s legal counsel Atty. Claro Certeza said Trillanes cannot invoke parliamentary immunity.
“The parliamentary immunity ang sinasakot nyan yung mga deliberations on legislation na ginagawa sa kongreso. Ngayon kung babansagan mo ang tao na isang ‘kriminal’ na lumabag sa batas eh ibang usapan na ho iyon,” Certeza told reporters.
[Translation: “The parliamentary immunity involves deliberations on legislation being made by Congress. Now, if you will call a person ‘criminal,’ one who violated the law, that’s a different case.”]
Certeza also said they have no plans of backing down.
Binay originally filed the libel case against Trillanes before the Makati City prosecutor’s office in April, but the city prosecutor inhibited from the case.
The mayor also questioned the transfer of his case against Trillanes to the DOJ.
Certeza said they are appealing the city prosecutor’s inhibition and that they want the case transferred back to Makati.
Another preliminary hearing on the case is set for August 28.
CNN Philippines’ AC Nicholls contributed to this report.
