(CNN Philippines) — Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV remains unfazed by a libel suit filed against him by Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay over the lawmaker’s alleged public accusations that the Binays committed crimes and other irregularities.
Trillanes told CNN Philippines on Tuesday (April 14) that the libel case will not stop him from pursuing and exposing the wrongdoings of Mayor Binay and his family.
“He can do whatever he wants basta hahabulin ko sila hanggang makulong silang mga kurakot. Nagkamali siya ng tatakutin,” Trillanes said.
[He can do whatever he wants but I will run after them until these crooks are put behind bars. They are mistaken if they think they can threaten me.]
This developed after the Binay filed on Monday (April 13) a libel complaint before the Office of the Makati City Prosecutor against Trillanes for “publicly and maliciously” accusing the mayor and his family of bribery and other crimes and irregularities “without factual basis”.
In a statement, Binay’s camp cited an interview aired last April 7 over several radio and television programs and a news article on April 8 wherein the senator publicly alleged that Mayor Binay bribed members of the 6th Division of the Court of Appeals (CA) in exchange for favorable action on his prayer for a temporary restraining order (TRO) and a writ of preliminary injuction against his suspension order.
In the news reports, the statement added, Trillanes was also quoted as saying that the mayor and his family were “part of a syndicate” that has committed various crimes and irregularities.
“The damaging and ruinous claims spewed out by respondent Trillanes are mere concoctions and fabrications with no other purpose than to malign, discredit, ruin my reputation and besmirch my good name as well as that of my family,” Binay said in his complaint affidavit.
Binay said that Trillanes himself had admitted during the interview that he had no valid proof or factual basis for his pronouncements.
Also on Monday, Trillanes told reporters that he had sources claiming that CA Associate Justices Jose Reyes Jr. and Francisco Acosta received P20 million pesos each to issue a 60-day TRO and another P5 million for a writ of preliminary injunction on Binay’s suspension as Makati mayor.
The senator refused to reveal his sources but vouched for them.
“Kumpyansa tayo dun sa ating source of information. This is not the first time na ginawa natin yan. I made bigger revelations at tinitindigan natin yan,” Trillanes said.
[We are confident with our source of information. This is not the first time that we did this. I made bigger revelations and we stood by them.]
He added that he had intelligence information on the matter although he admitted he had no documents supporting his claim.
Justice Reyes already categorically denied Trillanes’ accusations, saying that the CA remained very meticulous in its processes to come up with an impartial ruling.
CNN Philippines’ Ivy Saunar contributed to this report.
