Trillanes faces arrest for libel rap filed by Paolo Duterte

December 7, 2018

A regional trial court in Davao City has issued an arrest warrant against opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes IV on the libel charge filed against him by former Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte. Presiding Judge Melinda Dayanghirang of Branch 54 of the Davao City RTC, in a warrant of arrest dated December 7, has fixed the bail bond of P24,000 for Trillanes' temporary liberty. In a one-page warrant of arrest, the judge ordered any officer of the law to arrest Trillanes and bring him before her so he could face the charge. The warrant should be executed within 10 days from receipt. Paolo, the eldest son of President Rodrigo Duterte, welcomed the court's issuance of warrant of arrest against the senator. "I'm okay with this. Merry Christmas," he said on his Facebook page, with the photo of a copy of the court's order. In a statement, Trillanes said he "will just post bail before the appropriate court on Monday." Paolo filed last September a libel complaint before the Davao City Prosecutor's Office against Trillanes who was interviewed by a local radio station in Cebu in September 2017. Trillanes, a staunch critic of the President, allegedly said Paolo and his brother-in-law, Manases Carpio, husband of Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, were involved in the corruption and extortion of Uber. Paolo denied the allegation. Trillanes' office has yet to issue a statement on his warrant of arrest. Celerina Monte/DMS