Amnesty given to Trillanes’ fellow mutineers also ‘theoretically’ void, Panelo claims
MANILA, Philippines — All the amnesty granted by former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III to the officers and enlisted men accused of trying to overthrow his predecessor are invalid, Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo claimed Monday.
In an interview on ANC’s “Early Edition,” Panelo claimed that the amnesty given to Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and the handful of officers and men involved in the uprisings against then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo were void because the amnesty was approved by former Defense Secretary Gazmin, not Aquino.
“Under the Constitution, the power to grant amnesty is exclusive to the president. You cannot delegate the power to any alter ego,” Panelo said.
He added: “So that makes the grant of amnesty void from the very beginning.”
Panelo shared the same argument with President Rodrigo Duterte, who earlier said that usurpation of authority was committed when Gazmin recommended and approved Trillanes’ application for amnesty.
“The problem here is the one who investigated and recommended the application for amnesty was the same person who approved the amnesty,” the chief executive said Saturday.
Asked if all the amnesty granted by Aquino to other mutineers were void, Panelo responded: “Theoretically yes, unless they can show that the president then signed a grant of amnesty to all those enumerated in the letter submitted to him by Gazmin.”
But Trillanes, a former Navy officer, insisted it was Aquino, not Gazmin, who approved the amnesty.
“There’s a committee that process the amnesty application form. Now, this committee was satisfied with the application form which, in turn, was recommended to the committee headed by Secretary Gazmin,” Trillanes said.
He added: “Secretary Gazmin recommended the approved application to be granted the amnesty.”
Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chair Danilo Lim and Office of Civil Defense Deputy Administrator Nicanor Faeldon were given amnesty by Aquino.
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