ANGARA: P-NOY "MEANT WELL" ON TRILLANES CASE REVIEW

Senator Edgardo J. Angara today reminded the public not to "misconstrue the statement of Pres. Noynoy Aquino on his call to the DOJ to review the case of Sen. Sonny Trillanes," citing the President meant well.

"Pres. Aquino meant well, except his statement was prone to wrong interpretation because of the current circumstances. The timing wasn't very helpful," Angara said, adding that he has no qualms about Trillanes' choice for SP but that Aquino's call to the DOJ may be misleading to some in the general public.

In an interview over DZBB earlier this week, Angara expressed concern that the President's statement can be taken into the wrong context on three levels.

First, he said, the DOJ can contend that he is interfering with the affairs of the Judiciary, an independent arm of the government. Second, Angara believes it will also raise question of contempt from the military court, under which Trillanes had been tried. Finally, the timing of his calls to the DOJ coincides with the race to the Senate Presidency, as his ally is running and for whom Trillanes is known to be voting.

Angara, himself a former Senate President, warned that "there are many fundamental issues that a simple statement like that can spur."

Aquino has earlier contended that the Judiciary in the previous administration may have been hasty in convicting Trillanes, adding that "he may have been charged wrongly," calling on current Justice Secretary Leila de Lima to make a review on Trillanes case.

The timing was inappropriate, however, as Trillanes has earlier professed allegiance to Sen. Kiko Pangilinan's candidacy for the Senate Presidency. Pangilinan is a known ally of Aquino.

"I have nothing against Mr. Aquino's legislative agenda even when he was a colleague in the Senate. On whichever side I may be in the Senate, I have always been supportive of our reform agenda on the legislative front. But somehow I wished Mr. Aquino could have been more careful in statements like that because it is easily taken out of context," Angara concluded.