Trillanes seeks exemption from election gun ban

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV is seeking exemption from the election gun ban from the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

He cited the alleged threats to his security and insinuated that these came from the camp of President Duterte, who he described as vindictive.

But Malacañang merely dismissed his allegations and described him as an “illusionist.”

“It is just a figment of his imagination. He is being ignored,” presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a press briefing.

The senator pointed out at a Senate forum that Duterte has threatened to “destroy” him and cited the statement of retired Davao policeman Arturo Lascañas who talked of a plan to allegedly kill him.

The statement, he added, corroborated the claim of professed hit man Edgar Matobato who linked a death squad to Duterte. He also claimed that Lascañas and Matobato were part of the team that abducted and killed the lover of Duterte’s sister.

“It is a given fact. We know that this President is very vindictive. He does not want anyone contradicting him,” Trillanes said.

The gun ban exemption, if granted by the Comelec, will allow him and his security to carry firearms during the election period.

Even though the plan he cited dated back years, the lawmaker stressed that the threat will always be present.

“The moment the plan to kill is laid, it would just wait for the opportunity. We are not taking any chances, we are going to give those who are planning to kill me a hard time,” he said in Filipino.

The Comelec imposed 150-day gun ban from Jan. 13 to June 12 as part of the midterm elections on May 13. However, it also said that qualified persons and entities may seek an exemption from the ban by applying for the appropriate Certificate of Authority (CA) at the Comelec committee on the ban on firearms and security personnel.

Trillanes claimed that some police officers were providing protection to police-assassins.

He also said that the electorate will use the May 13 midterm elections to indicate their disgust with Duterte and the results would be a gauge of the people’s sentiments.

Trillanes also doubted the results of recent surveys of Social Weather Stations (SWS) and Pulse Asia, which indicated that President Duterte enjoyed an 80-percent approval rating.

“If it (rating) was true, I might not be able to get out of my house… I suspect there was something wrong with the sampling method,” he said, citing a difference in the survey results and election results for the 2004 and 2007 polls.

He added that the recent surveys were done at respondents’ houses and that local officials knew of the activity.

“There is fear… It would be hard to talk freely,” he claimed. – With Alexis Romero, Edith Regalado