QC court orders arrest of Trillanes, 9 others
Credit to Author: Darwin Pesco| Date: Fri, 14 Feb 2020 16:12:32 +0000
A Quezon City court on Friday ordered the arrest of former senator Antonio Trillanes 4th and nine others in connection with the so-called “Bikoy” videos that linked President Rodrigo Duterte and his close relatives to the narcotics trade.
Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 138 Clerk Maria Carmen Lacson confirmed that arrest warrants were issued by Judge Kristine Grace Suarez to the 10 individuals who were charged with conspiracy to commit sedition.
Lacson said the order was issued on Thursday, and at least four of the respondents had each posted a P10,000-bail.
Other than Trillanes, the clerk declined to say who else were charged and who had posted bail.
On January 27, the Department of Justice filed a case against them circulating the “malicious” and “scurrilous” videos against the Dutertes online.
In a statement released on Friday, Trillanes said he was out of the country “for a series of engagements,” but would post bail when he returns late next week.
“I will face this case just as I have faced all the other harassment cases Duterte’s minions have filed against me,” he added.
Among those the Justice department had charged was Peter Advincula, the character named “Bikoy” in the series of viral videos titled “Ang Totoong Narcolist.”
In a message sent to reporters, Advincula’s lawyer Lorenzo Gadon said Advincula would “voluntary[ily] surrender” and would go to the Quezon City court on Monday or Tuesday to post bail.
He added that Advincula was in a safe house somewhere in the north and had come from Baguio City and La Trinidad to appear in the reading of a judgment in his case in La Trinidad.
On Friday, Philippine National Police Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac said the police were ready to arrest Trillanes and the other accused.
He added that the arresting officers were just waiting for the copy of the arrest order.
Banac said the Quezon City Police District and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group would carry out the arrest.
WITH FRANZ LEWIN EMBUDO