Who is Sonny Trillanes?

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.

In 2015 and 2014, he finished the Leadership in Development and the National and International Security Programs, respectively, 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 millions of pesos of savings 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 ran and won as senator while in detention, the first and only national candidate to achieve such feat. He is the youngest ever elected senator, at the age of 35, under the 1987 Constitution.

As a Senator from 2007 to 2019, Sonny advocated for measures on peace and order, anti-corruption, and poverty alleviation. He served as Chairman of various committees such as the Civil Service, Government Reorganization and Professional Regulation, the National Defense and Security, the Congressional Oversight Committee on the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act, Congressional Oversight Committee on the AFP Modernization Act, the Select Oversight Committee on Intelligence and Confidential Funds, and the Legislative Oversight Committee on the Visiting Forces Agreement.

After his 12-year stint as a Senator, Sonny was officially recognized by the Philippine Senate for having the most number of national bills passed into law as principal author and principal sponsor. He filed a total of 1,490 bills and resolutions. Of these, 98 were passed into law. Foremost of which are the: AFP Modernization Law; Philippine Baselines Law; Salary Standardization Law 3; National Health Insurance Act; Immediate Release of Retirement Benefits of Government Employees; Magna Carta of the Poor; Institutionalized Pantawid Pilipino Program (4Ps) Act; Magna Carta for Disabled Persons; Expanded Senior Citizens Act; Anti-Bullying Act; and Increase in Subsistence Allowance for Soldiers and Policemen.

Sonny remains the Chairman of the Magdalo Party. He has also entered the academe as Professor of Praxis at the Ateneo School of Government, Ateneo De Manila University, and Professorial Lecturer at the University of the Philippines National College of Public Administration and Governance, teaching subjects on Governance and Public Policy.

• He was one of the Navy personnel who risked their lives to secure thirty-two (32) persons during a 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.
• As a Navy Officer, he has a five-year sea duty experience logging-in a Total Miles Covered (TMC) of 35,316.78 nautical miles. During which time, his unit was responsible for the apprehension of dozens of smugglers, illegal loggers, poachers, human smugglers and illegal fishermen in numerous maritime law enforcement operations conducted in the waters of Batanes, Ilocos, Cagayan, Isabela, Zambales, Scarborough, Quezon, Bicol, Palawan, Mindoro, Romblon, Iloilo, Cebu, Zamboanga Peninsula, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-tawi, Davao and Maguindanao.
• He was 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, he reformed the procurement system, which resulted to the accumulated savings of more than P4,000,000.00 in favor of the government.
• He has participated in 22 naval exercises conducted with local and foreign navies.
• He is a recipient of 23 assorted merit medals, campaign ribbons and badges.
• He stood up against Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s corrupt and oppressive regime, and was incarcerated for almost 7 ½ years.

• He is one of the most productive senators in terms of the number of bills and resolutions filed, totalling to 1,077 bills and resolutions, 52 of which have been passed into law (from 2007 to present).
• During the 16th Congress (2013-present) he ranks 1st based on the total number of:
• National Bills approved on 3rd Reading (10 bills)
• National Bills (as Principal Author) passed into law
• Committee Reports on National Bills sponsored (19 bills) ̶ 10 of which have been approved on 3rd reading; 5 have been passed into law; 4 are pending for deliberation
• During the 15th Congress (2010-2013) he ranked 1st based on the total number of:
• National Bills (as Principal Sponsor) passed into law
• National Bills (as Principal Author) passed into law (15th Congress)