On Tuesday, the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) clarified that Malacañang had no involvement in the filing of complaints against former President Rodrigo Duterte for inciting to sedition and making unlawful remarks.
CIDG Chief Police Major General Nicolas Torre III explained that this case is purely a law enforcement matter. He emphasized that the police are responsible for enforcing laws and that the police identified a potential violation based on Duterte’s remarks.
The complaint was filed on Monday after Duterte suggested, during a rally, that 15 senators should be killed so that their Senate seats would become vacant. He reportedly said, “Let’s kill the senators now to vacate the seats. If we can eliminate 15 senators, we can all get in… Talking of opportunities, the only way to do it is to blow them up.”
Torre explained that, although no senators had directly approached the CIDG about the comments, they are free to file their own complaints if they feel personally affected. He said that the case could be built without their involvement, but if senators wanted to pursue separate action, they were welcome to do so.
He also informed Police General Rommel Marbil, the PNP Chief, about the case, and Marbil gave his full support to the move. Torre mentioned that Marbil even praised him, saying “Good job” and didn’t ask him to stop the investigation.
Meanwhile, former Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo criticized the case, calling it “foolish.” He argued that Duterte’s remarks were intended as a joke, asking, “What is happening to this country? Are you no longer allowed to joke? Will a complaint be filed against you just for kidding around? Do we not have democracy?”
In the midst of the controversy, the CIDG remains focused on its responsibility to investigate and enforce the law, while others debate the seriousness of the remarks made by the former president.
