Solons say Rody’s joke has consequences
AN administration lawmaker yesterday urged the NBI to investigate former president Rodrigo “Rody” Duterte for suggesting the killing 15 senators to make way for his own senatorial slate, saying authorities should determine if the former chief executive violated laws with his remarks.
Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto-Adiong said if the NBI investigated the death threats by Vice President Sara Duterte against President Marcos Jr. First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos and Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, “it is only appropriate to subject the former president’s statements to the same level of scrutiny.”
“In moments like these, our institutions must stand firm in upholding the rule of law. We must ensure that no individual, regardless of position or influence, can erode the principles of democracy and accountability,” Adiong said in a statement.
The former President made the statement on Thursday last week at the proclamation rally of senatorial candidates of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) in San Juan City.
Campaigning for his nine senatorial candidates, the elder Duterte said tongue in cheek in Filipino, “Now, there are many of them (senators). What should we do? Let’s kill the senators now to create vacancies.”
“Kung makapatay tayo ng 15 senador, makukuha natin silang lahat (If we kill 15 senators, we’ll get all their positions),” Duterte said. “Kung tutuusin, baka ang tanging paraan lang talaga ay pasabugin (When you think of it, the only way is to bomb them).”
The remarks were met with laughter and cheers from his supporters who responded with chants of “Kill! kill! kill!”
Duterte and his supporters have dismissed his controversial statements as jokes.
`WORDS HAVE POWER’
The elder Duterte made the remarks also in the wake of the House of Representatives’ move to impeach his daughter who, in a press conference last November, said she had ordered a hitman to kill the President, the First Lady and Romualdez if they get to kill her first.
As result, the Vice President’s statement was cited as an impeachable act and led to the NBI’s decision to recommend to the Department of Justice the filing of charges against her.
“In a democracy, words have power, especially when they come from someone who has held the highest office in the land. If certain statements warrant legal scrutiny, it is imperative that all similar declarations be assessed fairly and consistently,” Adiong said.
Adiong said that while Duterte may claim once again that he made the statement in jest, “he cannot hide the threat to kill senators behind a joke.”
“Kung ang pagsabi ng bomb joke ay bawal sa batas at may kaakibat na kaparusahan, lalo na dapat ‘yung banta na magpapatay ka ng 15 senador (If telling a bomb joke is prohibited and punishable by the law, all the more should be the threat to kill 15 senators).”
Adiong said such statements cannot be taken lightly because “we have seen before how rhetoric like this can embolden individuals to take matters into their own hands, often with tragic consequences.”
“When public figures normalize threats of violence, they create a dangerous environment where words can translate into real harm,” he said.
CONSEQUENCES
Taguig City Rep. Amparo Maria Zamora said, “This is beyond reckless. A former president joking about murder is unacceptable. Words like these from a leader have real consequences.”
She said the actions of the Vice President “mirror the same reckless leadership style (of her father).” “Leadership is about serving the people, not threatening them. A true leader inspires, not intimidates,” she said.
“Enough is enough. We cannot allow our leaders, past or present, to keep making murder sound like a policy option,” she said. “The words of a leader carry weight. When they threaten violence, it emboldens enforcers of the law to take shortcuts, it silences critics, and it fosters a culture of fear instead of democratic discourse.”
The congresswoman said that under Duterte’s administration, thousands were killed in a bloody drug war that remains under investigation by international human rights bodies.
“The violence we saw during the Duterte administration is not something to joke about. It has real consequences, and our country continues to deal with the aftermath,” she said.
Zamora warned that “this pattern of violent rhetoric, combined with their political maneuvering, is a dangerous sign.”
“This isn’t normal. We can’t allow it to be normalized,” she said in Filipino.
“Our democracy is not for leaders who govern using fear and intimidation. We must break free from the culture of violence and choose leaders who embody true service, integrity and respect for the rule of law,” she added.
‘ONLY SOLUTION’
Other administration lawmakers backed President Marcos Jr. for saying at a campaign rally of the administration’s senatorial slate Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas last Thursday in Davao del Norte that his predecessor seems to believe that “killing Filipinos is the only solution to every problem.”
La Union Rep. Paolo Ortega V said the father and daughter have a penchant for threatening people.
“We Filipinos, don’t do that because it’s bad,” he said in Filipino.
Ortega also said the President was spot on when he said the elder Duterte does not appear not be confident that his senatorial bets will win in the May midterm polls, that is why he is resorting to threats and negative campaigning.
Zambales Rep. Jeffrey Khonghun said the father and daughter believe they are above the law, repeatedly making threats of killing and assassination.
He said the filing of charges of inciting to sedition and grave threats against the Vice President “should have prompted the former leader to rethink his penchant for making threats.”
Khonghun said the former president’s “alarming rhetoric would not save his senatorial candidates.” “Mahina ang ticket ng Team China, malakas ang Team Pilipinas (Team China is weak, Team Pilipinas is strong),” he said, referring to the administration’s slate.
‘OLD PLAYBOOK’
Alyansa campaign manager Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco dismissed Duterte’s of-repeated allegation that Marcos is a drug user, saying the former president is just resorting to his old “playbook.”
“That’s really president Duterte’s playbook, right? He does that to his opponents,” accusing them of being either a drug user or drug pusher,” he said in Filipino.
The administration’s senatorial ticket is composed of re-electionist Senators Pia Cayetano, Lito Lapid, Imee Marcos, Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., and Francis Tolentino; former senators Panfilo Lacson, Vicente Sotto III and Manny Pacquiao; Reps. Erwin Tulfo (PL, ACT-CIS) and Camille Villar (Las Piñas City); Makati City Mayor Abby Binay; and former Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos.
Last Saturday, they campaigned in Davao del Norte which is part of the bailiwick of the Dutertes.
Tulfo, a former broadcaster who is from Davao, dismissed the idea that Mindanao is exclusively under the control of the Duterte political dynasty, reminding voters that Alyansa candidates have also contributed significantly to the region’s development.
He appealed to Davaoeños to vote based on performance and not on surnames.
