The Department of Justice failed to reverse Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 150’s ruling that granted Trillanes’ plea to temporarily lift the travel ban to allow him to go to the United States and Europe for speaking engagements.
Presiding Judge Elmo Alameda affirmed his ruling last Friday, December 7.
Trillanes is scheduled to leave the country for the Netherlands, Spain and United Kingdom from Dec. 11, 2018 to Jan. 12, 2019, and the US from Jan. 27 to Feb. 10, 2019 to meet different groups and attend various activities as part of his official duties.
Meanwhile, DOJ Secretary Guevarra assured that the Immigration will allow Trillanes to travel “if there’s no HDO issued by any court.”. In similar plea for the issuance of a hold departure order was filed before the Davao court, where the senator is facing a libel case filed by former Davao City vice mayor and presidential son Paolo Duterte.
Last week, the Davao Regional Trial Court Branch 54 has issued four warrants of arrest against Trillanes but the senator managed to post bail by paying a total of P96,000 bail bond earlier on Monday at Pasay.
Guevarra told that the Davao RTC gave Trillanes five days from December 7, or until Wednesday, to file his comment on the government’s motion.
“The court is not expected to issue an hold order departure until it has received and evaluated Sen. Trillanes’ comment on it,” the DOJ Chief added.
“However, if he travels without court permission, that is his own lookout,” he added.