Antonio "Sonny" Fuentes Trillanes IV

Antonio Trillanes IV reached the rank of Lieutenant Senior Grade in the Philippine Navy. He graduated cum laude from the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Marangal Class of 1995 with a Bachelor of Science in Naval Systems Engineering, topping his naval class. He later obtained a Master in Public Administration (MPA) with a concentration in Public Policy and Public Management from the University of the Philippines Diliman National College of Public Administration and Governance (UP NCPAG).

In the May 2007 midterm elections, Trillanes ran for the Senate as a guest candidate on the Genuine Opposition slate while detained at Marine Barracks Fort Bonifacio on rebellion charges arising from the 2003 Oakwood Mutiny. Unable to leave his detention cell, his campaign was conducted by fellow Magdalo officers, youth volunteers, and civil society groups using grassroots volunteerism and early social media. He garnered over 11.1 million votes to finish 11th nationwide, becoming the first senator elected from prison in modern Philippine history.

On April 3, 2024, the Supreme Court En Banc unanimously held in G.R. No. 241494 that President Rodrigo Duterte's Proclamation No. 572, which attempted to void Trillanes' 2011 amnesty, was unconstitutional. The Court established that an amnesty concurred in by Congress cannot be unilaterally revoked by a subsequent President without congressional approval. The Court also affirmed that Trillanes complied with all application requirements and that reopening his dismissed rebellion cases violated the constitutional guarantee against double jeopardy.

Trillanes authored or sponsored 17 enacted laws, including the Revised AFP Modernization Act (RA 10349), Joint Resolution No. 5 increasing the daily subsistence allowance of soldiers and police officers to ₱150, the Anti Bullying Act of 2013 (RA 10627), the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (RA 10173), the Archipelagic Baselines Law (RA 9522), the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act (RA 10591), and RA 10154 requiring the release of government employee retirement benefits within 30 days. He also co authored Salary Standardization Law 3, the Expanded Senior Citizens Act, and the Cheaper Medicines Act.

In June 2017 and subsequent supplemental filings, Trillanes and Magdalo Representative Gary Alejano submitted formal communications and corroborating documentary evidence to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague. The filings contained witness testimonies, police operational reports, and investigative dossiers alleging crimes against humanity related to extrajudicial killings under the national drug war.

The Caloocan Recovery Plan is his comprehensive local governance blueprint focusing on five core pillars: (1) Free routine medical diagnostics and healthcare allowances for senior citizens, (2) A ₱2,000 monthly tertiary education allowance for University of Caloocan City and vocational students, (3) Free infant immunizations and maternal nutrition programs, (4) Commercial tax relief and digital permitting to attract manufacturing jobs, and (5) High definition CCTV surveillance and police coordination to eliminate petty street crime and extortion.

In early October 2026, during the Senate Impeachment Court proceedings of Vice President Sara Duterte, controversy arose when Trillanes, who was included on the House prosecution's initial witness list, was not initially issued a subpoena. Senator judge Panfilo "Ping" Lacson clarified publicly that the decision was not made unilaterally by Presiding Officer Francis "Chiz" Escudero, but reflected the collective consensus of senator judges that primary documentary evidence from government institutions (such as bank and AMLC records) should be presented first before evaluating the necessity of oral resource testimonies.

Antonio Trillanes IV was born and raised in Caloocan City. His father, the late Navy Captain Antonio Floranza Trillanes Sr. (PMA Class of 1959), was from Ligao, Albay in the Bicol region. His mother, Estelita Fuentes, is from Iloilo in the Western Visayas. He is married to Arlene Orejana, an educator and former officer in the Philippine Military Academy corps of professors, with whom he has children.