Trillanes refuses to give statement to police on Glorietta explosion

By Ronron
October 22, 2007

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV did not give a statement to police on Saturday who visited him at his detention cell to get his basis for accusing the Arroyo government as being behind the blast at Glorietta 2 in Makati City last Friday.

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Avelino Razon, Jr. said Trillanes’ action only shows “what kind of person he is” as he issues “political statements” based from tragic incidents.

“We conducted investigation on Senator Trillanes and requested him to assist us in his assertion against certain government officials. But he refused to cooperate, give statement or substantiate it,” Razon said.

It was the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) that attempted to take the statement of Trillanes last Saturday noon.

“Supt. Honorio Aguila, in his report, stated that during the interview, Sen. Trillanes refused to elaborate or give other details on his accusations, saying that what he released to the media is all that he can given at this moment,” the NCRPO said in a statement.

“He also refused to provide a formal written statement relative to his press statement. Despite all efforts put up by the investigating team to elicit more information from the neophyte Senator, no cooperation was garnered from that meeting,” it added.

On Friday evening or hours after the blast, Trillanes said in a statement that National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. were responsible for the incident, citing the government’s alleged Operation Plan Greenbase from which the bombings in Davao City in 2003 came from.

The blast was allegedly intended to divert the attention of the public from the controversies hounding the Arroyo government.

Presidential Chief Legal Counsel Sergio Apostol had branded Trillanes’ statement as “seditious.”

“If his statement has no basis, then it’s very unfair not only to those alluded to but also to the general public who trusted him and voted for him. This just shows what kind of person he is,” Razon said of Trillanes, branding his allegations as “irresponsible.”

Razon warned that they could actually take action against Trillanes for making such statement, but he would not elaborate.

The decision to take Trillanes’ official statement was arrived during last Saturday’s National Security Council and Anti-Terrorism Task Force Meeting in Camp Crame, presided over by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Apostol had said then they do not intend to prosecute Trillanes in getting his statement./DMS