Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV is one of the five senators who did not vote for Senate Resolution 388 “Expressing the sense of the Senate supporting Proclamation No. 2016 dated May 23, 2017 entitled “Declaring a State of Martial Law and suspending the privilege of the writ of Habeas Corpus in the whole of Mindanao and finding no cause to revoke the same.”
Following is the transcript of Trillanes’ explanation for his negative vote.
TRILLANES: Let me just make it clear that my negative vote for this resolution does not mean that I do not support the military operations going on right now or that I do not sympathize with the people of Marawi and the people of Mindanao. I believe all of us here are supportive and we salute the efforts of the AFP, we laud their sacrifices for the country and we want to support them as best we can. But the issue here is about the correct response or the proportionate response of the government to this crisis, which I believe that this declaration of Martial Law for the whole of Mindanao is not the correct response. And in fact, we heard it during yesterday’s security briefing, the AFP and their defense establishment didn’t even ask for it.
SENATE MAJORITY LEADER TITO SOTTO: Mr. President, that is in executive session. Just a reminder for the gentleman to refrain…
TRILLANES: Mr. President, it was agreed on during the latter part of the executive session that everything was…it was okay for everything that was divulged there to be…
SOTTO: Can the chair request a suspension so we can go over, first of all, what we agreed could be divulged…and then we allow Senator Trillanes to continue with his explanation.
TRILLANES: But it was already agreed on yesterday after we terminate it. And I believe I was properly guided…
SOTTO: Precisely. I’m requesting if you don’t mind we call a break and then let’s go over what we agreed yesterday.
TRILLANES: Well anyway, I’ll just keep that part. I’ll just keep that part Mr. President.
SOTTO: Go ahead, sir. Go ahead.
TRILLANES: Well anyway, yesterday’s briefing reinforced my belief that the AFP is very much capable of crushing the Mautes without Martial Law. They have done this before during previous incidents. One in 1995, at least in recent history. One in 1995, during the Ipil Massacre wherein hundreds of Abu Sayyaf members raided the Ipil, Zamboanga Del Sur and killed randomly civilians and military personnel. The reaction then was swift and it was decisive. Immediately, the whole force of the Armed Forces in the AFP SouthCom then went after the Abu Sayyaf and they took on lots of casualties. And the whole of Mindanao were not inconvenience with any Martial Law. Mission was accomplished but the progress, the economic progress of the area was not hampered. Then came the Cabatangan Raid or Cabantangan Sulu Siege, again, facing a much larger enemy force, covering a much larger area, the government reSottoonse was swift and decisive. Again, the AFP pulled through. They crushed the enemy and they restored law and order without resorting to Martial Law. Then came the all-out-war of President Erap, this was one of the biggest engagements of the Armed Forces, they faced around that time 15,000…15,000 armed regulars of the MILF and the reSottoonse of President Estrada then was very swift and very decisive and the Armed Forces was able to crush the 50 or so bases of the MILF without resorting to Martial Law. Then, recently during the Zamboanga Siege, facing a much larger force, covering again a much larger area, a significant city in Mindanao but President Aquino did not declare Martial Law. Again, the enemy force was crushed. Now, some would rationalize that that’s why this things keep on happening because he didn’t declare martial law. But let me remember someone who did. President Marcos, during 1972, declared martial law for the whole country precisely to crush and solve all this problems.
And I was mentioning to Senator Zubiri, the incident he was citing when he was 10 years old that the NPAs raided their home and shot his brother. And I reminded him that incident actually was doing martial law. 1979. Or seven years into martial law and yet such an incident still happen.so martial law is not the cure as proven by the experience of Marcos. I believe that there is a miSottolaced expectation. Everybody assumed or everybody assumes that by declaring martial law, all the enemies would cower in fear and suddenly the AFP would have superpowers to obliterate the enemy. But let me remind them, whether martial law or not, you will be limited to the capability of your armed forces – which right now, I believe was stretched thinly for various reasons. And that is why when I Sottooke to them I was really confident that they can do this job without martial law. And as a counter proposal, because some smart people would ask, “Ok, what’s your solution?” The solution is sustained military operation, we’re not getting in the way. Regardless whether this debate would go on for weeks, we will not get in the way of the military operations. We let them be.
The AFP is a professional armed forces. They are led by generals who have been schooled in the art of ground warfare. So I am confident that they know their job. But they need help. We need to increase their intelligence funds. Right now, malacanang can do that. They can easily realign a portion of the 18B peso intelligence and confidential funds of malacanang to the intelligence operations of the armed forces. Just to give you a breakdown. Malacanang has 2.5B in intelligence funds and 15.5B in confidential funds broken down as follows: 11B for the office of the president for the conduct of the ASEAN activities, and 2B for the DILG presumably for the PNP. But what is puzzling is it has a 1.4B budget for the Presidential Communications Office of Secretary Andanar. And compare that to the total intelligence budget of the defense department of only 1.6B. So they can easily realign if they really want to serve and protect the Filipino people, then it’s time to put their money where their mouth is. Realign the intelligence budget from malacanang to the AFP. Then next I propose that we push for the immediate passage of the national id system. Because right now, out of the million who pass through the checkpoints in Mindanao, whether in Davao City or Zamboanga City, not a single Maute has been apprehended out of this checkpoints. Why? Because they can easily fabricate these IDs and there is no database that has a biometric reference for this people, for everyone, for that matter.
And Finally, I am pushing for the immediate passage of the provisional enlisted personnel bill that will allow the armed forces to recruit as many as 20,000 troops without being burdened by the pension system. So this new troops that will be recruited will have a new pension system so he retired and the active will still retain the old system. So these are the ways that we can help the soldiers on the ground and eventually crush not only Maute but all the other lawless elements. So that explains my vote, Mr. President.
Prioirty of a President
By Jose Alejandrino
In countries attacked by terrorists, like Britain and France, the priority of their leaders was to protect their citizens.
In the Philippines, Presidnet Duterte took the sam position and rightfully so. His priority is to protect its citizens.
No Constitution was intended to negate this right of citizens to be protected because it is the people who are sovereign as recognized by the 1987 Constitution. Neither Congress nor the Supreme Court can or should protect the rights of terrorists or their supporters giving aid and comfort to them because this kind of interference would be a hindrance to the president’s foremost duty to protect the people and the nation from harm.
Should such interference happen with the effect of blocking action by the executive, the president is within his right to ignore it. The Constitution cannot be used as an instrument to advance the objectives of the terrorists and their supporters.
Neither Congress nor the Supreme Court can be the final judge of what the president does in protecting the people. The final arbiters are the people themselves. That is why in case of continuous obstruction, the people are within their right to abrogate the Constitution and give the president revolutionary powers. It is a means of self defense.
it is clear, the government is for the people, of the people and by the people and no one even the senators/congressmen and the justices has the right to deny protection of the people in times of emergencies especially during terrorist attack. and, if this right that we, as people deserve during dire need, we have the power to ignore any act causing delay and grant our selves the full right to allow the president establish a revolutionary government for that right to be protected being which is being denied by people we expect facitilate it for our security and protection.
why did trillanes not mention the urgency of passing a law requiring FOR A NATIONAL ID to better identify who belong to the underworld and those who are not?
another point is, aside from increasing the intelligence fund, he should have touched on the procurement of more effective combat support equipment and logistics like night vision goggles, more precision guided missiles and bullet proof vest and helmets and more importantly DRONES.
palusot lang.