Press Release
September 4, 2018

HONTIVEROS TO DUTERTE: YOU CAN NEVER JAIL THE RESISTANCE

*Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros on the revocation of Senator Trillanes' amnesty

President Rodrigo Duterte's revocation of the amnesty granted to Senator Antonio Trillanes is unconstitutional, lacking concurrence from the legislature. While the Executive has the power to grant amnesty, it must have the concurrence of a majority of all the members of Congress. The same goes with revocation.

This signals the growing crackdown on the political opposition and the President's further slide into full authoritarian rule. Together with the unjust incarceration of Senator Leila De Lima and the sham electoral protest against Vice President Leni Robredo hanging like a Damocles sword over her head, I fear that all these form part of President Duterte's grand plan to wipe out the opposition and consolidate complete political power unto himself.

It is also a step back for our attempts at national unity, healing and reconciliation after a nine-year presidency marred by massive electoral cheating, large-scale corruption and extrajudicial killings of progressive dissidents.

I call on all democratic and progressive forces to close ranks in denouncing the intensifying state persecution against the opposition movement. We will not cower in fear. We will continue to resist. President Duterte can put us all in jail, but he can never jail the resistance.

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