Former senator Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV said he will file libel complaints against Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano and Sen. Rodante Marcoleta following the latest developments in the Senate’s flood-control controversy.
The statement came after Trillanes’ name was again dragged into the political fight surrounding the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee proceedings, where allegations from individuals presented as former Marines have become part of the public dispute.
The planned legal action adds another front to Trillanes’ pushback against claims linking him to the flood-control and cash-delivery controversy. In March, Trillanes filed cyberlibel complaints before the Department of Justice against the 18 alleged former Marines after they accused him of receiving money from former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co to supposedly facilitate the entry of International Criminal Court investigators and bribe the tribunal.
Trillanes has frequently turned to legal action against political rivals and critics. While he has filed numerous complaints over the years, several remain unresolved, and some of his highest-profile cases have either been dismissed or ended unfavorably for him.
He has also been repeatedly accused by political opponents and other personalities in controversies tied to the ICC, destabilization claims, and the flood-control scandal, allegations he has consistently denied. His planned complaints against Cayetano and Marcoleta continue his pattern of responding to accusations through legal action.
The issue comes as the Senate remains locked in a bitter fight over the Blue Ribbon Committee’s flood-control inquiry, the role of alleged witnesses, and the political fallout from the corruption scandal. Cayetano and Marcoleta have been publicly involved in Senate exchanges over the hearings.
For Trillanes, the latest move is another legal response to allegations he says are untrue. He has already taken the 18 alleged former Marines to the Department of Justice over related accusations and is now preparing to pursue Cayetano and Marcoleta through libel complaints.
