Aguirre links Senators Trillanes, Aquino to Marawi battle

June 7, 2017

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II revealed on Wednesday he received information linking critics of President Rodrigo Duterte and members of the political opposition to the Marawi  fighting, now on its second week. Citing a report from a source, Aguirre said Senators Antonio Trillanes IV and Paolo Benigno Aquino met with several clans in Marawi City at a resort hotel there last May 2 along with Magdalo partylist Rep. Gary Alejano and former presidential adviser on political affairs Ronald Llamas. Aguirre alleged Aquino went to Marawi last April 24 and 28 and then stayed for the meeting. Aguirre said members of the Lucman and Alonto clans were present during the meeting, but he said his source was not certain if members of the Maute clan attended. "They (Trillanes and company) met with Moro families there. We don't want to speculate, but two weeks after they went there, this siege happened," Aguirre said. He showed an alleged photo of the meeting during the press briefing, but did not give copies to reporters. Asked for his opinion, Aguirre said the link between the meeting and the siege is "possible, probable." "I'm going to talk with my asset who was there in the meeting. It (siege) could really be a case of terrorism and this (meeting) could be a spark that led to those terroristic acts," he theorized. According to him, he would also suggest to probers to look into the possibility that money was brought to the meeting, which could have been the same money seized from the Maute camp by the military earlier this week. DMS   .