After previously criticizing former Vice President and Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo, former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV has now turned his attention to Senator Bam Aquino.
In a recent interview, Trillanes made it clear that while he respects Aquino’s work in the Senate, he could not bring himself to support him if Aquino runs for a higher position in 2028—citing the senator’s decision to align with the Senate majority bloc.
According to Trillanes, Aquino seems to have forgotten that the current majority in the Senate is composed mostly of allies of former President Rodrigo Duterte and Vice President Sara Duterte, Trillanes’s long-time political rivals.
“Si Senator Bam Aquino for example—kasi bakit, ngayon nga, ka-caucus niya, ka-bloc niya iyong mga Duterte bloc. Sa akin, hindi ko kaya iyon under any conditions. Gusto ko man nung komite, hindi kaya nung sikmura kong makasama ko sa caucus iyong mga Duterte bloc,” said Trillanes.
Aquino had earlier explained that his and Senator Kiko Pangilinan’s decision to join the majority was strategic—so they could secure the chairmanships of the Basic Education and Agriculture Committees, which are only available to members of the majority.
Sources say the Liberal Party and Katipunan ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP) are eyeing Robredo and Aquino as their standard bearers for the 2028 presidential elections—Robredo for President, Aquino for Vice President.
Trillanes also accused Aquino and Pangilinan of asking him to delay the release of the International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant of arrest against Duterte, supposedly out of concern that it could negatively impact their senatorial bids in the 2025 midterm elections.
Trillanes claimed this move may have weakened the electoral performance of Alyansa Para Sa Bagong Pilipinas—the administration coalition in 2025—especially in Cebu and Mindanao, which remain Duterte strongholds.
As of writing, Senator Aquino has yet to respond to Trillanes’s accusations.