The Duterte administration has a favorite assault lingo: "void ab initio", which means "invalid from the beginning".

In the administration-instigated quo warranto petition filed by Solicitor General Jose Calida, former Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno was ousted by the Supreme Court on the pretext that her appointment was "void ab initio" for failure to file complete SALNs.

However, it was the quo warranto petition which was void ab initio because it was used as subterfuge to subvert the constitutionally mandated sole process of impeachment to remove high officials.

Now it is again the void ab initio pretension which is being used in the revocation of Sen. Antonio Trillanes’ amnesty grant due to the alleged absence of a copy of his application.

It is President Duterte’s Proclamation No. 572 revoking Trillanes’ amnesty which is void ab initio for utter lack of basis because Trillanes filed an application which was granted under DND Ad Hoc Committee Resolution No. 2 (#1).

Any arrest warrant against Trillanes is also void ab initio because no warrant can be issued based on dismissed and obliterated cases.

EDCEL C. LAGMAN