Antonio Trillanes IV

Who is Antonio Trillanes IV?

Antonio "Sonny" Fuentes Trillanes IV is a former Navy Lieutenant Senior Grade and currently serving as a senator of the Philippines since 2007.

He was born in Caloocan City.

He was known for leading the 2003 Oakwood Mutiny when he and some 300 junior officers and enlisted men of the Armed Forces of the Philippines took over the Oakwood towers in Makati City as protest for alleged rampant corruption in the Philippine government - in the Armed Forces of the Philippines in particular - and the prevalence of social injustice all over the country. He was detained for almost seven and a half years after protesting against corruption.

In the Senate election held in May 2007, Trillanes successfully launched a nationwide campaign from his prison cell as he ran and won a seat in the Philippine Senate on a shoestring budget. He was elected to the Senate as guest candidate for the anti-administration Genuine Opposition ticket, and assumed office on June 30, 2007. He made history for being the first Philippine senator to be elected while in jail when more than 11 million people voted him into office on a strong anti-corruption advocacy.