Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez said Monday that detained Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and Muslim leader Nur Misuari -- now out on bail -- should not be compared with one another because their cases are different.

“Besides, this is something which is pending before the court. So much will also depend on the court because we also cannot meddle with court processes,” Gonzalez said in an interview on ANC’s “Mornings@ANC.”

Gonzalez was reacting to Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr.’s statement after the release of Misuari. Pimentel said if the Makati Regional Trial Court allowed Misuari to post P50,000 bail, the same privilege should be extended to Trillanes.

Pimentel said releasing Trillanes would enable him to perform his duties as an elected senator.  

Misuari, a former Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) governor, was detained in 2002 for leading a failed mutiny in Jolo, Sulu. Prior to his release last week, he was placed under house arrest due to his ailment.

Trillanes, on the other hand, was charged with coup d’etat for leading a short-lived Oakwood mutiny in July 2003. The Makati court hearing his case has denied his petition for bail.

The former military officer is currently detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center after leading a failed rebellion in Makati City in November last year.

Gonzalez cited some factors that led to Misuari’s release that are not present in Trillanes’s case.  

Bail for other co-accused

The justice chief said that for one, Misuari has a long-standing petition for bail before the court. He also noted that the court had already granted bail to the seven co-accused of the leader of the Moro National Liberation Front.

The MNLF had forged a peace agreement with the government during the Ramos administration.

Gonzalez also cited the precarious condition of the peace process between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front with the impending withdrawal of Malaysian peacekeepers in Mindanao.  

“… here comes a situation where there are problems -- Malaysia is withdrawing from the peace process in Mindanao, Libya trying to come in here and vouching for Mr. Misuri, Mr. Misuari was already on house arrest because  of his ailment. There are many things here that would not really apply to Mr. Trillanes,” he said.

With regard to Trillanes’s bail petition, Gonzalez said that the government had opposed his plea because of the “seriousness of the charges against [him] and the fact that I think he has not really fully submitted himself to the court.”

He also reiterated that the government, particularly President Arroyo, did not meddle in the cases of Misuari and Trillanes.