Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Wednesday, replying to reporters’ questions, the application for amnesty of Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and the rest of Magdalo soldiers were all missing.
The defense chief made the statement in defending Solicitor General Jose Calida from the accusations of Trillanes it was Calida who stole the senators’ application for amnesty which he submitted to the Defense department.
“We do not know where they are,” Lorenzana said in an interview, in reply to questions if all the amnesty applications of Magdalo soldiers are missing.
“All we could find in the Defense department is the Proclamation 75 of [then] President [Benigno] Aquino [III], plus the documents signed by [then Defense] Secretary [Voltaire] Gazmin…The accusations the application form was stolen by SolGen Calida is untrue,” Lorenzana added.
Lorenzana was referring to Aquino’s Proclamation 75 which granted amnesty, with the concurrence of Congress, to Magdalo soldiers who participated in failed coup attempts in 2003, 2006 and 2007, as well as the January 2011 letter of Gazmin which purportedly stated the AdHoc committee of the DND found the amnesty application of Trillanes and 38 others in order.
News videos have also shown Trillanes submitted his application for amnesty wherein he ticked a box stating that he is admitting guilt in violation of all laws, GMA News also said.
Trillanes also had a video footage presenting his certificate of amnesty which he had framed, GMA News added.
But Lorenzana said Trillanes did not apply for amnesty.
“I cannot confirm that [Trillanes] applied because I did not see it,” Lorenzana added.
President Rodrigo Duterte recently voided the amnesty granted to Trillanes eight years ago on the grounds that Trillanes did not apply for amnesty and did not admit guilt for his past crimes.