“Alam niyo, Bagong Pilipinas na, eh. Hindi na pwede ‘yung mga gano’ng statements na kinabukasan joke only na lang,” PNP CIDG Chief Brig. Gen. Nicholas Torre III said as he confirmed filing a complaint against former President Rodrigo Duterte.
The CIDG has lodged complaints of inciting to sedition and unlawful utterances before the Department of Justice (DOJ), citing Duterte’s controversial remarks at a Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) rally in San Juan City.
During the event, Duterte joked about killing 15 senators to create vacancies in the Senate, drawing laughter from the audience. However, authorities deemed his statement serious enough to warrant legal action.
Torre emphasized that such remarks could no longer be brushed off as mere jokes under the current administration’s policies.
Meanwhile, Senator Ronald dela Rosa, a longtime Duterte ally and PDP-Laban candidate, defended the former president, saying it was clearly a joke.
As the DOJ reviews the complaint, Duterte has yet to release a public statement on the matter.
