Detained Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and 16 others facing rebellion charges for the Manila Peninsula Hotel siege two years ago have asked a Makati court that they be released on bail.

A motion filed by Trillanes and other 16 accused through lawyer Ernesto Francisco Jr. before Judge Elmo Alameda of Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 150 sought a bail hearing. Francisco cited the Section 13, Article III of the 1987 Constitution, as ground for the request.

Section 13 states that “all persons, except those charged with offenses punishable by reclusion perpetua when evidence of guilt is strong, shall, before conviction, be bailable by sufficient sureties, or be released on recognizance as may be provided by law. The right to bail shall not be impaired even when the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus is suspended. Excessive bail shall not be required.”

"It is not only that there exists no probable cause against them for the crime of Rebellion based on the law and existing jurisprudence and that the acts attributed to them do not constitute the crime of rebellion,” said Francisco.

He stressed that the prosecution’s evidence against his Trillanes and the other soldiers is "non-existent, inadmissible, and/or not strong enough to warrant their continued detention."

Francisco said the accused are entitled to be released on bail and the bail hearing be scheduled at the soonest dates available in the court calendar.