Court allows Trillanes to study abroad from August to September
FORMER senator Antonio Trillanes IV has been given the go-ahead to travel to Singapore the United States from August 28 to September 22, 2022 to pursue continuing education as professor of public administration and governance in Ateneo de Manila University and University of the Philippines.
In a four-page resolution, the Court of Appeals(CA) Seventh Division granted Trillanes’ manifestation to temporarily lift the hold departure order (HDO) issued by the Makati City Regional Trial Court Branch 148 in criminal case no. 16-161 for libel.
Citing the settled case of Eduardo Cojuangco vs Sandiganbayanand the People of the Philippines, the CA was convinced that the former opposition lawmaker was not a flight risk, noting his past travels wherein he returned.
In Cojuangco vs Sandiganbayan, the Supreme Court “appreciated the fact that therein petitioner’s previous travel requests were granted by the court, and that he had always returned and complied with court orders.”
“..we are convinced that accused-appellant is not a flight risk and thus entitled to temporarily lifting of his ban to travel.. ”
” For one, records showed that accused-appellant has been traveling to other countries in the past with leave of court, even as the criminal cases against him were pending, and that he has always returned to the Philippines.. ” the CA said.
Trillanes claimed that because of his current occupation as a professor of Ateneo de Manila University and University of the Philippines-College of Public Administration and Governance, he is required to attend continuing professional education to keep him abreast with the latest developments in the field of governance.
For this reason, he enrolled and is scheduled to attend a course entitled “Mastering Policy Impact Evaluation and Analysis” at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore on from Aug. 29 to Aug. 31, 2022, and another course entitled “Leadership for the 21st Century” at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University from September 11, 2022 to September 16, 2022.
