Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines — Oakwood mutiny leader Antonio Trillanes IV has won a seat in the Senate, making history as the country’s first former military officer to be elected senator while detained on coup d’etat charges.

Trillanes, a candidate of the Genuine Opposition (GO), sealed his victory Thursday with the returns from Surigao del Norte province. He is to be proclaimed the 11th in the winning circle of 12 senators Friday morning by the Commission on Elections sitting as the National Board of Canvassers (NBC).

“We believe it is already mathematically impossible to overcome the lead of Trillanes, in view of which the board has decided to have a partial proclamation again in [his] favor,” Comelec Chair Benjamin Abalos Sr. said before adjourning the NBC session at noon Thursday.

Abalos’ announcement — which he made after reading the ballot tally from Surigao del Norte, which accounted for 207,361 votes — was greeted with modest applause from the election lawyers present. Trillanes’ lawyer, Reynaldo Robles, contained his jubilation with a smile.

Trillanes actually did not fare well in the province, with only 44,604 votes that put him at No. 16.

But his hold on No. 11 in the overall tally remained firm, leading Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III of GO and Juan Miguel Zubiri of Team Unity (TU) by 272,670 votes and 384,231 votes, respectively.

Overjoyed

“Tuwang-tuwa kami (We’re overjoyed),” Robles told reporters.

Robles said he would try to “work it out” for the 35-year-old former Navy lieutenant to leave his detention cell in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City, for the proclamation.

“He said it was OK with him not to attend his own proclamation. But I told him he owed it to the public to [be there], as a way of thanking and honoring all those who voted for him,” Robles said.

The lawyer said Trillanes had become “anxious” over the proclamation of the other winning senatorial candidates. “We felt that he should have been proclaimed also despite the uncanvassed returns. It was mathematically possible, but highly improbable, for the other candidates to overtake him.”

The Comelec proclaimed last week the first 10 winners in the senatorial race, including six GO candidates, ensuring the opposition’s continuing dominance of the Senate.

Robles said that after the Surigao del Norte certificate of canvass was tabulated, he was actually preparing to argue that Trillanes should now be proclaimed.

He said he could only heave a sigh of relief when Abalos made the announcement.

“He is the first senator to be elected while in detention, as far as I know,” Robles said of his client. “I think my information’s pretty accurate.”

Fight for last spot

With Trillanes’ impending proclamation, the battle will focus on the fight between Pimentel and Zubiri for the last spot.

The latest Comelec tally showed Pimentel still leading Zubiri by 111,561 votes. Contrary to TU expectations, the votes from Surigao del Norte failed to dislodge Pimentel from the 12th spot.

Zubiri garnered a total of 56,011 votes compared to Pimentel’s 56,165 votes.

“We are thankful that the canvassing is finally over for Trillanes. Of course, we will not leave Koko (Pimentel). We will continue to support him and make sure that the right votes will be counted,” Robles said.

Unaccounted votes from Maguindanao and several towns in Basilan, Bogo in Cebu and Biñan in Laguna were, according to Abalos, still pegged at less than 500,000, which could still alter the rankings of Pimentel and Zubiri.

The fight for the 12th spot could be extended should the Comelec en banc decide to declare a failure of elections and hold special polls in Maguindanao, where massive electoral fraud is said to have occurred.

A hearing on the matter is scheduled on Friday after Trillanes’ proclamation.

To his advantage

Robles said detention would not prevent Trillanes from performing his duties as senator.

If anything, he said, being confined to a room every single day would even work to the new senator’s advantage.

“He would be more focused on his work crafting laws because he has nothing else to do as soon as he wakes up in the morning. He can’t go gallivanting in the malls or even night-clubbing,” Robles said, grinning.

Moreover, the lawyer said, Trillanes would not “abuse the people’s trust” by using his election “as a ticket, a way out of detention.”

The only thing Trillanes will ask the court is to allow him to serve as a senator and to attend the Senate sessions, Robles said, adding:

“There will be no problem even if he has to go home to his cell every night.”

Robles said Trillanes remained committed to his advocacy for reforms, including reforms in the Armed Forces of the Philippines: “It is still his principal advocacy.”

The man already has some 20 proposed measures addressing corruption, education, and poverty alleviation, his lawyer said.

Unrepentant

Trillanes has been languishing in jail since he and more than 300 young officers and soldiers took over the premier Oakwood serviced apartments in Makati City in July 2003.

The mutineers denounced government and military corruption but were accused of staging a failed power grab. They surrendered after the daylong uprising.

While some of the other mutiny leaders reconciled with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo after making public apologies, Trillanes has remained unrepentant, criticizing the administration for widespread corruption and rights abuses.

With only a P5-million budget, raised from the sale of his battered car and contributions from relatives, Trillanes was the lowest spending front-running candidate in the senatorial elections.

His campaign gathered steam toward the end as opposition forces bankrolled his TV advertisements.

He placed third in votes cast by the military, despite efforts by defense and military officials to dissuade troops and their families from supporting him.

Trillanes’ victory in his first foray into politics has baffled many because he had to wage his campaign from behind bars.

In an interview with journalists allowed by the court at his detention center, he openly attacked Ms Arroyo and demanded her ouster.

Political analyst Earl Parreño told The Associated Press that Trillanes’ victory was “a verdict against GMA (Ms Arroyo) and a verdict against the whole system.”

Still up in the air

The military has been surveying several officers, asking them, for example, if Trillanes’ victory was a vote against the Arroyo administration or a defiance of the top brass.

But whether Trillanes will be able to attend his proclamation remained in question.

Lawyer Robles asked Judge Oscar Pimentel of Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 148 for permission in Trillanes’ behalf — but filed the motion at past 4 p.m.

By then, Pimentel had left his office.

Nevertheless, Robles said, the judge had made the assurance that he could still act on the motion early Friday, hopefully just in time for the 9:30 a.m. proclamation. With reports from DJ Yap, Reuters and The Associated Press