Tongol: Trillanes has free speech but impeach court to rule on trial evidence

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate impeachment court said on Friday that former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV has the right to free speech, but his statements will not be the senator-judges’ basis to either convict or acquit Vice President Sara Duterte.

Impeachment court spokesperson Atty. Reginald Tongol made the assertion shortly after Trillanes held a press conference.

The former senator earlier held a media briefing presenting supposed evidence on Duterte’s alleged ill-gotten wealth had he not been withdrawn as a witness in the trial.

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“They are free to exhaust their freedom of speech because that is part of our democracy,” Tongol began.

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He continued: “However, for our senator-judges, of course, we just have to have faith in them that only the evidence and the testimonies and the exhibits or documents presented before the impeachment court are the only ones they will be the basis of their decision on the ultimate question.”

Trillanes was listed among the prosecution’s witnesses to prove that the vice president had amassed unexplained wealth and failed to disclose it.

READ: Trillanes links P319-M China funds to Sara Duterte husband’s firm

However, the prosecution withdrew Trillanes as a possible witness on Thursday.

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According to the former senator, he himself asked lead prosecutor Rep. Greville Luistro not to present him because of “pressures” against the prosecution panel.

In his press conference on Friday morning, Trillanes recalled his testimonies to the House justice panel during its hearings on the impeachment complaints against Duterte.

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He linked Duterte’s income to a supposed known drug lord in Davao City, Sammy Uy.

Trillanes also accused Duterte’s foundation of receiving P150 million from the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China.

He also revealed that Calle88, the supposed company of Atty. Manases Carpio, received P319 million from the Chinese government and China-based corporations.

Still, Tongol reminded that the prosecution may still present Trillanes voluntarily.

“If the House prosecution panel sees that what former Sen. Trillanes said is important to include in their presentation of evidence-in-chief (foundational facts), they are free,” Tongol said.

“They have the prerogative to call Sen. Trillanes in the coming days,” he noted.

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“The impeachment court will leave it up to them how to formally introduce those evidence into the proceedings of the court so that the senator-judges would be able to take them in, consider them, and weigh them formally,” he added.