MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines is in the process of constituting the general court martial in relation to the nullification of the amnesty granted to Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV.
Citing the senator's failure to comply with minimum requirements for the grant, President Rodrigo Duterte issued Proclamation 572 ordering the police and the military to arrest Trillanes.
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"The AFP as an institution is united and committed to the chain of command and the rule of law," AFP spokesman Col. Edgard Arevalo said in a statement.
The military also acknowledged the senator's petition before the Supreme Court over Duterte's proclamation.
Arevalo said the AFP would defer from commenting on the civilian case "in deference to the sub judice rule."
The Department of National Defense issued a similar statement on Trillanes' petition for certiorari, prohibition and injunction before the high court.
"The DND respects the judicial process and will defer to the decision of the court on the matter," the Defense department said in a statement.
Trillanes, through his lawyer, had filed a 36-page petition seeking a temporary restraining order to stop the military and the police from arresting him under Procalamation 572.
The senator asked the SC to declare null and void Duterte's proclamation for allegedly violating the Constitution.
“The power to grant amnesty is not just the sole prerogative of the executive. Under the Constitution, this power, to be validly exercised, requires concurrence of both houses of Congress,” Trillanes said. — Patricia Lourdes Viray