Trillanes, NSA Chief Año File Criminal Complaints Over Alleged Bribery Claims
By Tracy Cabrera
CAMARIN, North Caloocan — Former Senator Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV and National Security Adviser Eduardo Año have filed criminal complaints against several individuals, accusing them of spreading false bribery allegations.
Trillanes lodged charges for cyber libel and perjury at the Department of Justice (DoJ) in Manila against lawyer Levito Baligod, 18 former Marines, and self-proclaimed former security aides of ex-Ako Bikol party-list representative Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co. The respondents had publicly claimed on February 24 that they delivered billions of pesos in cash to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Trillanes, and alleged that Trillanes received US$2 million to influence the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into former President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs.
Trillanes also included other public figures in the complaint, such as former congressman Michael “Mike” Defensor, former newscaster Jose “Jay” Sonza, anti-insurgency spokesperson Lorraine Badoy-Partosa, and vlogger Cathy Binag, citing their role in spreading these allegations.
In a parallel action, Año filed criminal charges against the same individuals for “malicious imputations” linking him to large-scale bribery. The NSA chief accused the respondents of unlawful publication and statements under the Revised Penal Code and Cybercrime Prevention Act (RA 10175), emphasizing that this filing is only the first of multiple legal actions he intends to pursue.
“I was truly surprised and angered by their baseless claims. I would never engage in such acts,” Año said, asserting that the accusations contradict his decades of military and public service.
The complaints stem from claims made by the 18 alleged former Marines, who said they delivered billions of pesos in “kickbacks” from flood control projects to top government officials, including Marcos and Año. Baligod organized the February 24 press conference at Club Filipino in San Juan, introducing the ex-Marines by name and portraying them as former security personnel of Co.
Among the allegations, Baligod claimed Trillanes received $2 million (around ₱116 million) to fund arrangements for ICC investigators. The ex-Marines also reportedly detailed that cash was delivered to Trillanes’ Quezon City office, and that he coordinated with Co and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez regarding accommodations for ICC personnel.
The affidavits from the 18 respondents, notarized a day before the press event, reportedly contained extensive details of these alleged transactions, which Trillanes and Año firmly deny. Both officials have vowed to pursue cyber libel and perjury charges against all parties involved.
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