ANTONIO TRILLANES
(ABS-CBN News, Based on Research by ABS-CBN Investigative and Research Group)
Antonio 'Sonny' F. Trillanes IV was a Navy Lieutenant who served five years on sea duty. He was involved in numerous naval operations in support of ground operations directed against the Abu Sayyaf and other lawless elements. He became Acting Commanding Officer of a patrol gunboat and eventually, procurement officer of the Naval Training and Education Command of the Philippine Navy.
He received a total of 23 assorted merit medals, campaign ribbons and badges during his military service.
Educational Background:
Elementary: Sienna College, QC (1975-1983)
High School: Angelicum School of QC (1983-1987)
College:
- BS ECE (Electrical & Electronics Engineering), De La Salle University Manila (1987-1991) – up to 4th year only.
- BS Naval Systems Engineering, Philippine Military Academy (1991-1995), cum laude
Post-graduate:
- Master of Public Administration major in Public Policy and Program Management, University of the Philippines Diliman (2002-2005)
- National and International Security Program; and Leadership in Development, Harvard Kennedy School, Cambridge, Massachusetts (2014-2015)
TRILLANES THE NEWSMAKER
Trillanes was spokesperson of Magdalo, a group of 300 soldiers. On July 27, 2003, a number of its members occupied the Oakwood Premier in Ayala Center, Makati City for almost 20 hours. They were demanding the resignation of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, along with key security officials of her administration including then Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes. The soldiers aired their grievances against the alleged anomalies and corruption in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (including those that have to do with retirement and separation benefits, procurement, and purchase of substandard equipment for soldiers, among others). The soldiers were charged for coup d’état and jailed.
ROAD TO SENATE
Trillanes first ran for the Senate in the 2007 mid-term Elections under United Opposition, a political party created by VP Binay to unite all politicians who wanted to impeach PGMA (now United Nationalist Alliance or UNA). He launched his campaign from his prison cell. He garnered more than 11 million votes to become the 11th Senator in the elections.
In 2013, he ran for re-election, this time under the Nacionalista Party, which was part of the Team PNoy Alliance.
SALN
Trillanes’ latest Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (as of Dec. 31, 2014)
Assets: P13,459,000 (real properties: P5,902,000; personal and other properties: P7,557,000)
Liabilities: P7,910,000
Net worth: P5,549,000
Controversies/Issues:
Trillanes was spokesperson of Magdalo, a group of 300 soldiers. On July 27, 2003, a number of its members occupied the Oakwood Premier in Ayala Center, Makati City for almost 20 hours. They were demanding the resignation of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, along with key security officials of her administration including then Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes. The soldiers aired their grievances against the alleged anomalies and corruption in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (including those that have to do with retirement and separation benefits, procurement, and purchase of substandard equipment for soldiers, among others). The soldiers were charged for coup d’état and jailed.
On Nov. 29, 2007, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim, and other soldiers facing charges of rebellion from the failed Oakwood mutiny in 2003 walked out of a court hearing and marched through the streets of Makati City. They proceeded to Peninsula Manila hotel, where they held a press conference and called for the ouster of President Arroyo. Due to the incident, the Philippine National Police (PNP) put Metro Manila under a red alert status. When the soldiers refused to surrender, the government responded by deploying soldiers and armored personnel carriers in the area. The six-hour standoff ended with the surrender of Trillanes and Lim, the arrest of members of the media who were covering the incident, and the destruction of parts of the hotel.
In December 2010, Trillanes was released by order of Pres. Benigno C. Aquino III. The order also granted amnesty to those who participated in the 2003 Oakwood Mutiny, the 2006 failed coup and Marine standoff, and the 2007 Manila Pen Siege.
- Falling out with Jejomar Binay
Trillanes started his political career in 2007 when he launched his first senatorial bid from his prison cell as a candidate of the United Opposition (UNO), a coalition of political parties with Vice President Jejomar Binay as its president. Since then, however, he and Binay had a falling out and Trillanes has become one of Binay’s strongest critics, standing at the forefront of the Senate Blue Ribbon inquiry on the corruption allegations against the vice president and his son, Makati Mayor JunJun Binay. The animosity between Trillanes and Binay goes back to the 2007 Manila Pen Siege, which Binay allegedly helped hatch, according to Trillanes. Binay, Trillanes claimed, promised to back up the Magdalo soldiers by marching with them to Ayala Triangle from the Makati City Hall. However, Trillanes said Binay failed to show up at the last minute and abandoned the soldiers, who then went to the Manila Pen instead. Responding to his accusations, Binay called Trillanes a liar but admitted that he did not go because the mutineers have other objectives that were not explained to him.
On April 13, 2015, Makati Mayor JunJun Binay filed a libel complaint before the Office of the Makati City Prosecutor against Trillanes for accusing the Binay family of bribing the justices of the Court of Appeals to issue resolutions in favor of the Binays. Trillanes sought the Prosecutor’s Office to inhibit as the allowances of its personnel, including administrative, logistical and personnel support, are provided by the Makati City government. In August 2015, the libel case against Trillanes was transferred to the Department of Justice (DoJ). In September 2015, VP Binay filed another libel case against Trillanes for claiming that there were “ghost senior citizens” in the former’s program for the elderly when he was still Makati mayor.
Last August, the Binay camp asked the Senate ethics committee to investigate Trillanes for allegedly using Senate funds amounting to P1.63 million a month for his household expenses, including for the salaries of his houseboy and family drivers. Trillanes also spent P18 million for consultancy in 2014, the highest among senators. His consultants allegedly included ex-Magdalo soldiers, campaign donors, and a brother who was getting P71,200 a month. Trillanes defended himself by saying that other Senators also have relatives as chiefs of staff because “it's a position of trust” and that not a single centavo of the amount went into his pocket.
Trillanes, along with Magdalo Party List Representatives Gary Alejano and Francisco Ashley Acedillo, asked the Supreme Court to stop the implementation of the K-12 program. Trillanes said that the perennial problems of the education system such as the “lack of classrooms and school materials, high student-teacher ratio, and low salary of teachers” should be solved first.
- On being the Philippines’ backchannel negotiator with China
On September 19, 2012, then Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile disclosed notes written by Philippine Ambassador to China Sonia Brady that showed Trillanes serving as President Benigno Aquino’s back-channel negotiator. One of Brady’s notes mentioned Trillanes apparently saying no one in the Philippines cares about Panatag Shoal (Scarborough Shoal). A few days after Senator Enrile’s disclosure, President Aquino revealed that during the height of the Panatag Shoal standoff, Trillanes, who was incidentally in China, was approached to be the backchannel negotiator with China. Trillanes then called Aquino and made the offer.
- On declining to be included in Mar Roxas’s running mate shortlist
On August 2015, Trillanes declined to be included in any shortlist of possible running mates for Mar Roxas. He said that he that he did not share the administration’s views on some issues such as the K-12 program and the mandatory sex education for Grade 6 students. In October 2015, he formally announced his vice presidential bid and endorsed the presidential bid of Grace Poe.