MANILA, Philippines – Another politician has joined the Twitter world.

Sen Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes became the newest senatorial candidate to open an account on the social media site after he posted his first tweet around noon on Thursday, December 20.

Within a couple of hours of his first post under his Twitter account @TrillanesSonny, the re-electionist running under the administration’s slate had garnered over 1,000 followers.

His initial tweet explained why he decided to join the site. It read, “Good day! I’ve finally decided to connect with you on Twitter. Let’s talk.” The post attracted welcoming responses from netizens.

His second tweet came less than half an hour after his first, in which he congratulated Miss Philippines Janine Tugonon for finishing 1st runner-up in the Miss Universe pageant. The tweet got almost 200 retweets.

The Nacionalista Party member then thanked his followers for the warm welcome.

Twitter is regularly used by politicans to speak to their constituents, voice opinions, or to respond to accusations and issues surrounding them. Most recently, Sen Pia Cayetano used Twitter to update Filipinos on the progress of the RH Bill, while Cebu Gov Gwen Garcia tweeted her thoughts on her suspension.

Trillanes’ Twitter profile simply reads, “Senator/Legislator of the Philippines. Public Servant. Former Navy Lieutenant. Chairman, Samahang Magdalo. Advocate of Government Reform and Good Governance.”

The former Navy Lieutenant, who led the botched Oakwood mutiny in 2003, has remained relatively silent following a surprise move in September, wherein he attacked the leadership of Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and bolted the Senate majority. Critics called the decision political suicide for Trillanes. 

But with his new Twitter account created just 5 months before the elections, expect to hear more from the senator. – Rappler.com