Given his consistent controversial policies and remarks, it was no surprise for former president Rodrigo Duterte to face complaints after relinquishing the presidency in 2022.
After his term, Duterte was stripped of his immunity from suit that the presidential office afforded him. However, it took some time before Duterte was slapped with a criminal complaint.
At present, Duterte has yet to face trial because complaints filed against him were either dismissed at the prosecutor level, or because prosecutors themselves have yet to complete assessment of the complaints.
So far, there have been no drug war-related complaints against Duterte due to a pile of reasons, including limited access to information. However, the House of Representatives’ quad committee had already recommended the filing of a complaint against him for crimes against humanity over his brutal drug war that killed around 30,000, based on the tally of human rights groups.
Here’s a running list of the complaints filed against the former president and their status.
Inciting to sedition, unlawful utterances
Complainant: PNP CIDG chief Police Major General Nicolas Torre III
Date filed: February 2025
Status: Pending with the Department of Justice (DOJ)
Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP CIDG) chief Police Major General Nicolas Torre III filed complaints with the Department of Justice (DOJ) against the former president for unlawful utterances and inciting to sedition on February 17, 2025.
Torre filed the suit following the former president’s statement at PDP-Laban’s campaign launch on February 14, where Duterte “joked” about killing 15 senators so all his Senate bets could claim their posts in the upper chamber.
The DOJ will assess Torre’s complaint and might later move to the preliminary investigation stage, which — when sufficient evidence is found — will lead to the filing of a case against Duterte.
Plunder, graft (Davao contracts)
Complainant: Former senator Antonio Trillanes IV
Date filed: July 2024
Status: Pending with the (DOJ)
Duterte faced his second criminal complaint in July 2024, courtesy of his political nemesis, former senator Antonio Trillanes IV. The former opposition lawmaker filed plunder and graft complaints against Duterte and former presidential aide and now Senator Bong Go, over the Davao contracts awarded to construction firms owned by Go’s father and sibling.
The complaints were based on a 2018 report by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, which revealed that CLTG Builders and Alfrego Builders and Supply, which are owned by Go’s father and sibling, cornered the most number and biggest projects in the Davao region. This happened while Duterte was mayor of Davao City up to 2017, when he was already president.
The complaint had already been endorsed to the Office of the Ombudsman, which probes into alleged corruption of government officials, but Justice chief Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla said in August 2024 that the complaint will be endorsed back to his office. Remulla said the DOJ needs to reevaluate the complaints filed against the former chief executive.
Plunder, graft (Frigates)
Complainant: Former senator Antonio Trillanes IV
Date filed: August 2024
Status: Pending with the DOJ as of August 2024
Just a month after he filed the first set of plunder and graft complaints, Trillanes filed a new set of corruption suits against the former president over the alleged anomalous government frigate acquisition project amounting to P16 billion in August 2024.
The plunder and graft complaint stemmed from Trillanes’ allegation that Duterte, who was then president, and other officials allegedly pushed for the installation of a Combat Management System in two military frigates. The system was allegedly “inferior” to what was originally specified in the government contract.
Grave threats
Complainant: ACT Teachers Representative France Castro
Date filed: October 2023
Status: Dismissed
Castro filed a criminal complaint against the former president for grave threats in 2023, after Duterte linked the ACT Teachers lawmaker to the communist armed movement. He said Castro should be targeted to be killed first. It was not unusual for Duterte to red-tag people, as his administration gained notoriety for cracking down on critics and for linking progressives to communist groups.
The former president attacked the Makabayan lawmaker after the House of Representatives disapproved confidential funds in the 2024 budget for Vice President Sara Duterte’s Office of the Vice President and Department of Education.
However, the Quezon City prosecutor’s office junked Castro’s complaint in 2024 due to lack of evidence.
The complaint was a test case for the country’s prosecution and justice system, because it was the first suit against Duterte. It could have been the first time for the former president to have undergone a court trial for red-tagging and grave threats. – Rappler.com