Antonio “Sonny” F. Trillanes IV

Antonio Fuentes Trillanes IV, or Sonny to his relatives and friends, was born and raised in Caloocan City. He traces his roots to Ligao, Albay in Bicol where his late father, Antonio Sr., grew up. His mother, Estelita, hails from the province of Capiz. He studied at De La Salle University in Manila where he took up BS ECE from 1987 to 1991. He formally entered into public service in 1991 as a cadet in the Philippine Military Academy where he graduated Cum Laude in 1995. In 2002, Sonny took up graduate studies at the University of the Philippines and got his master’s degree in Public Administration major in Public Policy and Program Management. For the duration of his master’s program, he received two University Scholar Awards for obtaining two semestral GPAs of 1.0 to 1.25. Recently, he finished the National and International Security Program at the Harvard Kennedy School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

After graduating from PMA, Sonny went through all shipboard assignments starting from Mess & Supply Officer, and, ultimately as Acting Commanding Officer of a patrol gunboat. During his five-year sea duty experience, his unit apprehended dozens of smugglers, illegal loggers, poachers, human smugglers and illegal fishermen in numerous maritime law enforcement operations conducted in the waters of Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Maguindanao, Scarborough, Palawan, Batanes, and the Visayas. One of the highlights of his military profession was the daring search and rescue operation for the survivors of the ill-fated M/V Princess of the Orient at the height of a super typhoon in 1998. For this act of risking their own lives in the fulfillment of their duty, Sonny and his unit managed to rescue thirty-two (32) survivors. He was also involved in numerous naval operations in support of ground operations directed against the Abu Sayyaf and other lawless elements.

As procurement officer of the Naval Training and Education Command, Philippine Navy, Sonny reformed the procurement system, which resulted to the accumulated savings of more than four million pesos in favor of the government. For his meritorious service to his country, Sonny has been awarded a total of 23 assorted merit medals, campaign ribbons and badges.

Sonny, thereafter, became widely known for his prominent role in the uprisings directed against the oppressive Arroyo regime which put him in jail for 7½ years. In 2007, he successfully launched a nationwide campaign from his prison cell as he ran and won a seat in the Philippine Senate on a shoestring budget. Now on his second term, Sonny vows to serve his country by continuing his advocacies on peace and order, anti-corruption, and poverty alleviation. He is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security and the Senate Committee on Civil Service, Government Reorganization and Professional Regulation.

For the past and present congresses, he has been the most productive senator as he has consistently ranked first in terms of number of national bills passed into law as principal author and principal sponsor. To date, he has filed a total of 1,109 bills and resolutions filed. Of these, 57 have been passed into law. Foremost of which are the: AFP Modernization Law; Archipelagic Baselines Law; Universal Healthcare Law; Immediate Release of Retirement Benefits of Government Employees; Salary Standardization Law 3; PAG-IBIG Fund Law; Magna Carta for Disabled Persons; Expanded Senior Citizens Act; Anti-Bullying Act; and the Increase in Subsistence Allowance for Soldiers and Policemen.

In this forthcoming elections, Sonny seeks to widen the reach of his advocacies by running for Vice President of the country. He is campaigning on a platform anchored on peace and order, anti-corruption, and poverty alleviation.