Just to be clear.

JUST TO BE CLEAR ...

It was Sonny Trillanes and his group – the Samahang Magdalo, which initiated, vetted, and filed the first crimes against humanity charges against Gongdi and his cohorts before the International Criminal Court. Their group hired the lawyer Jude Sabio to provide the cover to ease Gongdi’s pressures on him and the Magdalo.

Trillanes’s difference with Sabio was mainly over money matters. The latter was demanding more money although Trillanes made clear to him that his senatorial term was about to end in 2019. Sabio did not like it and he went to side with Gongdi and Bong Go. He later tried to withdraw the case, which was filed under his name, but the ICC did not agree to its withdrawal.

Trillanes, Gary Alejano and the Magdalo group filed the crimes against humanity charges against Gongdi at a time of great danger. It was the height of Gongdi’s power and his faction of killers were killing people with complete impunity. Even the democratic opposition felt apprehensive because Gongdi's killing ’sprees could extend to the opposition.

Trillanes colleagues like Franklin Drilon, Bam Aquino, and even Leni Robredo, who was the presumptive oppositon leader because she was the highest elected political leader, took distance from his initiative. They did not in any way help Trillanes and Alejano.

Ping Lacson, in his most cowardly way, said his initiative to bring Gongdi to the ICC would be destined to the dustbin of history. JV Ejercito said it was “suntok sa buwan” (or punch to the moon) to demonstrate its near impossibility.

Even the Legal Left came 16 months late to Trillanes effort. While Trillanes filed the first case on April 4, 2017, the Legal Left, as represented by the NUPL, filed its first information on Aug 28, 2018. That was at the time, when its break with Gongdi was complete.

Trillanes and his group started its initiative to bring Gongdi to the ICC as early as August, 2016, when mass extrajudicial killings (EJKs) were reported and increasing. The democratic opposition except Leila de Lima did not do anything.

Now, the Legal Left is highjacking the fight against Gongdi’s war on drugs, as if it was the first to initiate the fight. It has to be asserted they came much later. It is Sonny Trillanes, who did a lot of work for it to flourish and prosper.

He was mocked and called a lot of names like “trililing.” But he has the last laugh. He has taken the initiative to have their “Tatay Digong” go to the prison facility of ICC. Most likely, Gongdi will spend the rest of his life there...