Duterte Pulls His Top Political Critic’s Amnesty, Orders Arrest

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte called Tuesday for the arrest of one of his most vocal critics, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, and revoked the amnesty Trillanes had been given by his predecessor. The Wall Street Journal reported that Duterte ordered his law-enforcement forces to “to pursue all criminal and administrative cases” against Trillanes, and justified his actions by claiming that the senator did not meet the requirements for amnesty. Trillanes has reportedly drawn Duterte’s fury for criticizing his brutal war on drugs, and for filing a lawsuit in 2016 that claimed Duterte created fake employees for his own financial gain. The Journal added that this is the second time Duterte has targeted political opponents using law enforcement, although it remains unclear if he has the power to revoke an amnesty order granted by a previous president. He has also taken more violent action against Trillanes, warning this June that “there will come a day that someone will shoot him.’’ Trillanes has not yet been arrested on Tuesday's order.