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THE
Department of Justice (DOJ) on Monday filed rebellion
charges against Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, former Vice
President Teofisto Guingona and 34 others in connection
with Thursday’s standoff at the Manila Peninsula hotel
in Makati City.
Likewise, the Justice department directed the Bureau of
Immigration (BI) to include on its hold departure list
the 50 individuals who participated in the latest failed
attempt to topple President Arroyo.
In a
10-page resolution filed at the Regional Trial Court in
Makati City and signed by the panel of investigating
prosecutors led by Senior State Prosecutor Emmanuel
Velasco, the Justice department declared that the
walkout staged by Trillanes’s group from the Regional
Trial Court in Makati City and the subsequent take-over
of the Peninsula hotel cannot be considered as
spontaneous.
Aside
from Trillanes and Guingona, those charged were Brig.
Gen. Danilo Lim, Bishop Julio Labayen, Fr. Robert Reyes,
Capt. Gary Alejano, Capt. Segundino Orfiano, Jr., Lt. SG
Manuel Cabochan, Lt. SG James Layug, Lt. JG Arturo
Pascua Jr., Lt. Eugene Peralta, Lt. Andy Torrato, 1Lt.
Billy Pascua, 1Lt. Jonnel Sangalang, Ens. Armand
Pontejos, lawyers J.V. Bautista and Argee Guevarra,
Francisco Nemenzo, Julius Mesa, Cezari Yassir Gonzales,
Cpl. Clecarte Danahan, Pfc. Juanito Jilbury, Pfc.
Emmanuel Tirador, Pfc. German Linde, Antonio Trillanes
III, Myrna Buendia, Dominador Rull Jr., Romeo Solis,
Roel Gadon, Rommel Loreto, Julian Advincula, Francisco
Bosi, Leodor de la Cruz, Sonny Madarang, Elizabeth
Orteza Siguion-Reyna and Francisco Peñaflor.
The
prosecutors, however, ordered the release of 14
individuals for further preliminary investigation. They
were identified as lawyer El Cid Fajardo, Herman Tiu,
Leonido Toledo Jr., Evangeline Mendoza, Jose Albert,
Eduardo Castro, Ferdinand Sandoval, Julio Ancheta,
Stella Guingona, Maamor Lanto, Romeo Dacles, Ryan
Custodio, Edgardo Tulaylay.
The DOJ
said the case of Capt. Nicanor Faeldon, who remains at
large, is also set for preliminary investigation.
All the
accused, except for Guingona Jr., and Siguion-Reyna who
are both confined at the hospital, Bishop Julio Labayen,
who is in the custody of Bishop Rolando Tria Tirona, and
Faeldon, were all present and duly assisted by their
counsels during the inquest proceedings late Friday
night.
Based on
the evidence presented by the National Police-Criminal
Investigation and Detection Group, the panel held that
it was clear that the accused committed the crime of
rebellion when they walked out of the Makati court and
seized the Peninsula hotel before calling for Mrs.
Arroyo to resign.
Article
134 of the Revised Penal Code defines rebellion as a
crime committed by rising publicly and taking arms
against the government.
The
panel gathered that at about 9:45 a.m., Trillanes’s
group walked out from the courtroom of Branch 148 of the
RTC in Makati, during the trial of the Oakwood Mutiny
case, wherein they are also the accused.
They
were escorted by their armed supporters and some
civilians headed by Guingona and forced their way in to
Manila
Peninsula
by destroying its glass door at the side entrance and
forcefully took over the hotel.
The
group, together with some civilians, then publicly
denounced the Arroyo administration and called for the
creation of a new government.
A
statement read by Lim, in the presence of Trillanes,
Guingona and their supporters, called for a change of
leadership and urged the military and the police to
withdraw their support for the President.
The
panel also noted that Guingona, in anticipation of their
victory, raised a toast and uttered publicly: “This is
like Edsa.”
The
panel added that Reyes, Labayen, Guevarra, Fajardo,
Bautista, Laurel and Siguion-Reyna were seen with the
group and gave statements in support of Trillanes and
his men.
“The
foregoing bears earmark of public uprising and taking
arms against the government. Walking out of the court in
the midst of trial and having themselves surrounded by
armed men in public does not only display respondents’
contumacious act of disrespect to the court but also
shows their open hostility against the government,” the
resolution stated.
The
prosecutors also noted that the group was in possession
of various firearms and ammunition when they were
arrested by the authorities.
The
other members of the panel were State Prosecutors
Phillip de la Cruz, Aristotle Reyes and Prosecuting
Attorney II Alvin Navarro.
The
resolution was approved for filing by Assistant Chief
State Prosecutor Miguel Gudio.
Makati
Mayor Jejomar Binay on Monday said that reports linking
him to the botched coup d état staged by Trillanes and
companions could be another effort of the Arroyo
administration to get rid of him.
Although
Binay admitted that he supports the call for the
resignation of Mrs. Arroyo, he stressed that he has
nothing to do with the move of Trillanes and his group.
(With C. Mocon and J. Mayuga) |
