THE chief of the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) yesterday said Malacañang and Senate had no hand in his decision to file charges of inciting to sedition and unlawful utterances against former President Rodrigo Duterte.
“We don’t need the Senate, we don’t need Malacañang in filing these cases,” CIDG director Maj. Gen. Nicolas Torre III said in a press briefing at Camp Crame a day after the lodging the case before the Department of Justice.
“I don’t think Malacañang should get involved in this because this is pure law enforcement,” said Torre.
President Marcos Jr., meanwhile, took a swipe at his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, who last week suggested the killing of 15 senators so there will be more seats in the Senate for his own senatorial candidates. Duterte’s supporters said Duterte’s statement was merely a joke.
“I am ensuring that our candidates are complete and none has been victimized by a grenade blast,” he said in Filipino, at the campaign rally of the Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipino at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.
He said administration candidates are running on a platform of good governance, improved welfare of Filipinos and promotion of the country’s interests unlike other candidates who prefer to threaten and curse their rivals.
“That is the difference between the Alyansa candidates from those running in this election. You will not hear any bad words, you will not hear any threats, you will not hear and expletives,” he said.
‘MY JOB’
Torre, in a phone interview, said he did not speak with any official from Malacañang or Senate before he filed the complaint against Duterte.
“If I spoke to Malacañang (officials), they might not agree with it,” he said.
Torre reiterated he informed PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil he was filing the complaint.
“He (Marbil) said, ‘Go ahead, do your job.’ This is my job. I’ll be remiss if I did not file the case and let other people the file case… I informed our chief PNP, I informed the higher-ups of this action,” said Torre in the press briefing.
Asked what Marbil’s reaction was after he filed the complaint, Torre said, “He did not caution me (from further speaking on the matter). In fact, he said ‘good job.’”
Torre said Duterte should be held liable for his remarks. “It’s time that we hold this person accountable for his statement… It’s not a joking statement,” he said.
Nevertheless, Torre said it is now up to government prosecutors to evaluate or determine if the complaints should be endorsed for trial.
Torre declined to comment on the statement of NBI director Jaime Santiago that Duterte’s remarks were “rhetorics” and “political propaganda.”
“I don’t want to comment on the opinion of the NBI on the matter. They can make their own opinion, they can make their own conclusion.”
Torre said described the charges he filed as “minor” which he said are bailable.
Asked why he filed the complaint as a private citizen and not by the CIDG as an investigative agency, Torre said, “It makes no difference because these can be filed by anyone.”
“I filed it as a citizen and as chief of the CIDG because I believe that many citizens do not agree with Duterte,” he said.
“Many are just around the corner, silent, powerless, voiceless. So it is incumbent upon me as a citizen also, and since I am vested with this responsibility as director of the CIDG, to represent them,” said Torre.
‘IT’S A JOKE’
Duterte ally Sen. Ronald dela Rosa on Monday night downplayed the CIDG complaint, saying it was clear the former president was joking.
In a chance interview in Mandaluyong City, Dela Rosa also said he is confident that the cases of inciting to sedition and unlawful utterance filed against Duterte will be dropped.
“We all know how former President Duterte speaks, cracks jokes. If he really has plans to kill the 15 senators, why would he announce it on national TV?…Very clear that the former president is kidding, making the people laugh… No one among the 15 senators have complained because there is nothing to complain about. No complaint, no case,” he said in Filipino.
Dela Rosa also said he cannot understand Torre’s eagerness to file the complaint when not even one senator complained. He said that such allegations should have had a “private complainant” and was wondering why Torre took it upon himself to file the cases.
“The complainant should be a private complainant lalong lalo na kung (more so if) grave threats. But then, there’s nobody complaining kaya out of the blue CIDG is filing it case against the former president. If you feel that’s the duty, then go ahead
Sen. Imee Marcos, in a press conference at the Senate, said she is used to the way Duterte speaks, especially when the former president trash talks in his public speeches, and they should be taken lightly. – With Raymond Africa
