Antonio Fuentes Trillanes IV (; born August 6, 1971) is a retired Philippine naval officer who also served as a senator of the Philippines from 2007 to 2019. He is known for his involvement in the Oakwood mutiny of 2003 and the Manila Peninsula siege in 2007 in protest against the Arroyo administration, and as a vocal critic of the Duterte administration.
He previously ran as a candidate for vice president in the 2016 Philippine presidential elections. After his term as senator, he became a full-time lecturer, teaching public policy at UP National College of Public Administration and Governance of University of the Philippines Diliman and at Ateneo de Manila University.
Early life
Trillanes was born and raised in Caloocan to Navy Capt. Antonio Floranza Trillanes III of Ligao, Albay and Estelita Diaz Fuentes of Capiz. He has four siblings.
Education
Trillanes initially attended the De La Salle University for a degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering in 1987. However, in 1991, he decided to enter the Philippine Military Academy, where he graduated cum laude in 1995 with a Naval Systems Engineering degree.
He received his masteral degree in Public Administration from the University of the Philippines Diliman.
Military career
Trillanes is a recipient of an assortment of merit medals, campaign ribbons and badges totaling 23.
Oakwood Mutiny
In 2003, Trillanes, then a Lieutenant Senior Grade, along with Army Capt. Gerardo Gambala, led 321 junior officers and enlisted men of the Armed Forces in a mutiny against the Arroyo administration. Calling themselves the "Bagong Katipuneros" () but tagged by the press as the Magdalo group, the soldiers occupied the Oakwood Premier Ayala Center (now Ascott Makati), a serviced apartment tower in Makati, to protest the alleged corruption of the administration.
The mutiny was unsuccessful, lasting only 18 hours. Trillanes and his men were charged in a general court martial. He was detained for nearly seven and a half years.
Manila Peninsula siege
On November 29, 2007, Trillanes, Brigadier Gen. Danilo Lim, and 25 others charged in relation to the Oakwood mutiny, walked out of their trial and marched in Makati towards the Manila Peninsula Hotel. They seized control of the hotel, which is just a few blocks away from the location of their earlier mutiny. There, they called for the ousting of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. They were joined by former vice president Teofisto Guingona Jr., who called for a "new EDSA."
The attempted coup was over by 5:10 p.m., however, when government soldiers broke through the hotel. Trillanes and Lim surrendered, reasoning their doing so "to avoid loss of lives." The siege lasted for six hours.
Trillanes and his cohorts were arrested by the Philippine National Police and were sent to Camp Bagong Diwa. Among the arrested were journalists from various networks. Defense secretary Gilberto Teodoro defended the journalists' arrests, claiming the officers "didn't know the journalists and may have mistook them as renegade soldiers." The journalists were released soon after.
Political career
Senate
First term (2007-2013)
Trillanes filed his candidacy for the 2007 senatorial elections as an independent candidate. Later, however, he accepted an invitation from the Genuine Opposition as one of its guest candidates fielded against the Arroyo administration's bets. His bid was successful, and he was proclaimed senator-elect by the COMELEC. He was the youngest senator to hold the office since Benigno Aquino, Jr., a record he would later share with Bam Aquino in 2013.
On July 23, 2007, Trillanes filed a motion with the Makati RTC that would allow him to fulfill his senatorial duties while under detention, and allow him to attend the SONA. His plea was denied. In response, former UP president Francisco Nemenzo Jr. and Teofisto Guingona launched the "Let Trillanes Serve Movement."
On October 17, 2007, the Supreme Court, in an en banc resolution, directed the Armed Forces and Makati RTC Judge Oscar Pimentel to comment within 10 days on Trillanes' petition. However, these requests were later overshadowed by Trillanes' involvement in the Manila Peninsula siege.
On December 20, 2010, Trillanes was temporarily released. He was later granted amnesty by President Benigno Aquino III.