Manila, Philippines – Former Senator Antonio Trillanes doubts the credibility of the 18 so called ex-marines on their allegations against government officials who allegedly received luggages full of money.
As a former military officer Trillanes claimed that the ex-soldiers lack patriotism, arguing that their actions follow a pattern intended to benefit the Duterte’s through so-called corruption revelations.
The former senator filed a criminal case before the Department of Justice against the 18 soldiers, Atty. Levi Baligod, former Congressman Mike Defensor, and other personalities for fabricating a bribe scheme to the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigators.
Trillanes also admitted meeting with the members of the ICC for their ongoing investigation into former President Rodrigo Duterte, but emphasized that these meetings are confidential and cannot be made public.
This contradicts the allegations made by the former soldiers, who claimed he met with investigators to hand over money sourced from then Congressman Zaldy Co.
On March 5, former Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff, retired General Hermogenes Esperon Jr., also showed support for the so-called “18 Marines.”
For Trillanes, if Esperon and other former soldiers are looking to consolidate, this is not a simple revelation but a move to incite the ouster of the current administration.
The former senator believes that someone—or more than one entity—is funding these former soldiers, noting that the pattern of their public appearances and the filing of complaints ultimately leads back to a “win” for the Dutertes.