The government now seems eager to take Rodrigo Duterte’s jokes seriously and quite literally.
Philippine National Police (PNP) Criminal Investigation and Detection Group chief Police Major General Nicolas Torre III told reporters on Monday, February 17, that he filed complaints with the Department of Justice (DOJ) against the former president for unlawful utterances and inciting to sedition.
“Alam ‘nyo bagong Pilipinas na, eh. Hindi na puwede ‘yong mga gano’ng statements na kinabukasan joke only na lang. Hanggang ngayon ba naman dadalhin natin ang gulo na ‘yan na puro patay-patay na lang? Tapos if they will be taken on their word, bigla na lang sasabihin na joke only. Or ang latest naman na palusot is, he’s only expressing a legal opinion?” Torre told reporters.
(We’re now under a new Philippines already. Statements, which will be later labeled as jokes, are no longer allowed. Until now, will we still bring those death jokes here? Then if they are taken on their word, they would just suddenly label it as a joke only. Then the latest alibi, he’s only expressing a legal opinion?)
“Ang nakalagay doon sa statement ay maliwanag na enumeration ng violation of laws na nakasulat sa ating mga batas. Hindi pupuwedeng lapastanganin na lang ‘yon ng ganun-ganun na lang, lalo na ng isang tao na palaging nasa limelight (Included in the statement was a clear enumeration of a violation of laws. These cannot be violated just so easily, especially by a person who’s always in the limelight),” the CIDG chief added.
Under the Revised Penal Code, inciting to sedition is committed by a person who, “without taking any direct part in the crime of sedition, should incite others to the accomplishment of any of the acts which constitute sedition, by means of speeches, proclamations, writings.”
The DOJ will now assess if Torre’s complaint holds water. Prosecutors will later move to the preliminary investigation stage, which — when sufficient evidence is found — will lead to the filing of a case against Duterte. The former president is no longer immune from suit since he is no longer the sitting chief executive.
Torre filed the complaint after Duterte’s statement at PDP-Laban’s campaign launch on February 14, where the former president “joked” about killing 15 senators so all his Senate bets could claim their posts in the upper chamber. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., in fact, reacted to this “joke” and criticized his predecessor for it.
“Torre is a tower of ignorance and an edifice of nonsense. The grave threats complaint he and his agency have filed against FPRRD (former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte) is dismissible in the prosecutor’s office outright, for utter lack of legal basis and for being ludicrous as well,” former Duterte spokesperson Salvador Panelo said. “Don’t they have anything sensible and productive to do, other than doing foolish things?”
Torre, former Davao Region police chief, is the same police general who led the arrest against Duterte ally, alleged trafficker and head of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, Apollo Quiboloy. Torre was later appointed CIDG chief shortly after the religious leader’s arrest.
The irony
Duterte is the latest person from his camp to be targeted by a series of sedition complaints filed under the Marcos administration.
Just last week, the National Bureau of Investigation filed inciting to sedition and grave threat complaints against Duterte’s daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, over the latter’s assassination remarks against the President, First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and Speaker Martin Romualdez.
In October 2024, Torre also filed sedition and inciting to sedition complaints against Quiboloy’s lawyer, Israelito Torreon, and former anti-insurgency spokesperson Lorraine Badoy — both Duterte allies.
The irony is that under the Duterte administration, sedition was widely used to crack down on his critics.
Former senator Antonio Trillanes IV, one of Duterte’s fiercest critics, faced two inciting to sedition complaints: the first was filed after Trillanes mentioned in a privilege speech Duterte’s alleged unexplained wealth, while the second was filed over Trillanes’ statements in relation to his amnesty battle against Duterte.
In the middle of the Peter Advincula or Bikoy video controversy, where allegations were made about Duterte’s involvement in the illegal drug trade, the PNP also filed a sedition complaint against some members of the opposition, including Trillanes. A local court junked the case in September 2023.
Ordinary citizens also faced sedition charges under Duterte. Rodel Jayme, creator of the website that allegedly spread Bikoy’s videos, was charged with inciting to sedition. In 2020, a teacher and her son were also nabbed without warrants over an alleged provocative Facebook post. They were also charged with inciting to sedition and disobedience to authority.
Duterte is now at the receiving end of these sedition charges. Question is, will the complaint stand? – Rappler.com