PNP-CIDG chief defends sedition raps vs Duterte

MANILA, Philippines — Defending his decision to file criminal cases against former president Rodrigo Duterte, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) director Maj. Gen. Nicolas Torre III said it is time to hold him accountable for abandoning police officers who followed his orders during his term.

“What if someone does that (kill 15 senators), is he going to say he’ll take responsibility for it?” Torre asked, referring to a remark Duterte made during the kickoff rally of his senatorial candidates in the midterm elections.

Torre recalled the case of 17-year-old Kian delos Santos, who was killed by Caloocan police in August 2017 in what was supposed to be an anti-drug operation.

Duterte has said he was willing to go to jail with police officers who carried out his orders, Torre noted.

“Kian delos Santos died. Police officers were convicted. What happened to his promise that he’ll take care of it?” he pointed out.

Duterte had also told soldiers they can rape women with impunity, Torre recalled.

Torre said he informed Philippine National Police chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil about the cases before filing.

Marbil approved of his decision to file cases against Duterte, Torre said.

Malacañang was not involved in the filing of cases, he maintained.

While none of the incumbent senators have approached them, Torre said they are willing to assist should senators decide to file complaints against Duterte.

NBI: No probe if no senators complain

Unless a senator files a complaint, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) will not conduct a motu proprio investigation into Duterte’s remark about killing 15 senators.

While the agency is ready to look into the issue, NBI Director Jaime Santiago yesterday said it will only do so if a sitting senator comes forward and claims to have felt threatened by Détente’s statement.

“We will look at all angles, how it was delivered, the circumstances of the delivery, how serious it was,” he said.

Santiago questioned why House lawmakers were pushing the case when Duterte did not mention them.

“With due respect to them, they are the ones pushing the case, but they are not actually the ones involved,” he said.

Santiago claimed that Duterte’s remark makes it unclear if what he said was directed at incumbent senators or candidates in the midterm elections.

Santiago said he believed Duterte was only joking.

“Times have changed. The old ways of threats and killings are over. Now, people have learned. They know what is right and wrong,” he said.

If a senator files a complaint, Santiago said the NBI will evaluate its merits before taking action.

‘Stop probing Rody’

If Sen. Ronald dela Rosa were still police chief, he said he would advise the CIDG not to file a case against Duterte for joking about killing 15 senators.

“I will tell my CIDG to stop it! Stop it,” Dela Rosa told The STAR in a chance interview.

The senator claimed that the CIDG has no legal basis, maintaining his position is unrelated to his closeness to Duterte.

Dela Rosa, former police chief of Duterte, was the architect of the bloody drug war.

The CIDG earlier filed a complaint of unlawful utterance and inciting to sedition before the Department of Justice (DOJ) for case build-up.

“If that case ever progresses in prosecution, former president Duterte can easily handle it. It’s nothing, it’s a non-issue,” Dela Rosa said.

“I don’t understand why (they filed the complaints). Is there anyone who has complained about being threatened with death? I don’t think so. And the CIDG is voluntarily filing a case against him. That’s something to think about,” he said.

The complainant, Dela Rosa said, should be a private citizen, “especially if it is about grave threats or something similar.”

“If he (Duterte) really intended to kill, we all know how he speaks and jokes. If he planned to kill someone, why would he announce it on national TV? He would just do it. It’s clear he was joking, just trying to be funny,” Dela Rosa said.

In yesterday’s interview with “Headstart” on ANC, Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong recalled Duterte’s statements seeking to “kill the drug users and pushers,” which led to real-life consequences and the drug war.

“This time it’s different because it was said in a context where he has candidates (in the May midterm polls) and there are candidates on the other side running for the same position,” he noted.

Duterte joked about killing 15 senators to ensure the victory of senatorial candidates that he endorsed.

None of the 15 senators supposedly threatened are complaining, Dela Rosa claimed.

Abnormal

Duterte’s jokes should not be normalized, Adiong said.

“We have to draw the line. It’s not right to normalize this and we just allow public officials, former or incumbent, to go around and throw all these threats arbitrarily. It’s concerning,” he said.

The NBI should probe Duterte’s remarks, he maintained.

Santiago, however, has downplayed the seriousness of Duterte’s comments, suggesting it was mere “political rhetoric” typical of campaign season.

“I respect the position of the NBI director if that’s how he sees it, but the point is: do we have to allow this kind of rhetoric in the first place?” Adiong asked.

Sedition

Former senator Antonio Trillanes IV yesterday said he plans to file next month inciting to sedition charges against Duterte before the DOJ.

Trillanes commended the PNP for filing a case against Duterte for his “seditious statements.”

“It’s about time. He should also be held accountable for his previous statements during maisug rallies and press conferences,” Trillanes noted.

Trillanes, a longtime critic of the Duterte family, had filed charges against the former president for rights violations and corruption.

Trash talk?

Sen. Imee Marcos said she was not threatened by Duterte’s remark.

“I am not afraid or threatened. I am used to Davao trash talk, without passing judgment on who is good or bad,” Marcos said yesterday. “Maybe I’m not afraid because I’m not a hindrance to them.” — Mark Ernest Villeza, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Marc Jayson Cayabyab