A Philippine Navy officer who led an attempt to topple President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo four years ago took his oath as a member of the upper house of Congress on Friday. "This is a victory for the Filipino people," Lieutenant Antonio Trillanes said after taking his oath of office as a senator.
"I will push the interests of our people," he said. Trillanes arrived an hour late for the ceremony under heavy military escort. The officer is facing coup d'etat charges in a civilian court for his role in the take-over of a high-rise apartment in the heart of Manila's financial district in 2003 during an attempt to overthrow Arroyo. He is being held at a Marine base in Manila and could only attend the ceremony after an order from a military court.
Trillanes later told a television station he supported moves to re-open a congressional investigation into allegations of fraud in the 2004 presidential elections. Arroyo has been accused of cheating her way to victory in those elections.
"For this country to move on, we must cleanse the electoral process and put erring officials in jail," he said, adding nobody should tamper with the elections, one of the pillars of a strong democratic country. Trillanes could lose his seat in the Senate if the civilian court finds him guilty of leading a coup and sends him to jail.
On Thursday, Trillanes clinched the 11th seat of the 12 that were up for grabs in the May 14 senatorial elections, the seventh opposition candidate to be proclaimed winner. Two independents and two allies of Arroyo had also won.
The president's foes now have full control of the Senate but Arroyo and her allies retain a majority in the House of Representatives. The 12th and last Senate slot was being contested by one candidate each from the opposition and administration teams.
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