MANILA – A Philippine lawmaker on Tuesday filed a criminal complaint against former president Rodrigo Duterte for what she described as a “serious threat” to her life, alleging that he threatened to kill her during a TV interview in October.
Ms France Castro, deputy minority leader at the House of Representatives, said the former leader must be held accountable now that he no longer enjoys immunity from lawsuits as a private citizen. Ms Castro was among the lawmakers who had criticised Mr Duterte’s daughter, Vice-President Sara Duterte, for seeking confidential funds in the 2024 budget.
The 78-year-old Mr Duterte was known for his fiery, often expletive-ridden remarks when he ran the country for six years until mid-2022. He has yet to issue an official statement and his aides have not immediately responded to requests for comment. The offence of grave threat is punishable by up to six months in jail.
The complaint filed by Ms Castro cited Mr Duterte’s interview with SMNI, a broadcasting company owned by Philippine television evangelist Apollo Quiboloy, who is a known Duterte supporter. In the interview, which aired on Oct 11, Mr Duterte mentioned Ms Castro’s name as he railed against “communists” that he “wanted to kill”.
“Respondent Duterte’s grave threats, and the fact of their continued spread even until today, present dangers to my life, liberty and security,” Ms Castro said in her complaint filed with the prosecutor’s office in Quezon City.
Senator Ronald dela Rosa, a Duterte ally, defended the former president, saying days after the interview aired that the latter “didn’t actually mean murder” and that it was a “figure of speech”.
The International Criminal Court based in The Hague earlier in 2023 sought to reopen an investigation into alleged crimes against humanity committed under Mr Duterte’s drug war. More than 6,000 were killed in the anti-narcotics campaign, based on government data, but human rights groups estimate a higher death toll, mostly among the poor.
In response to the ICC’s decision, former spokesman Harry Roque said then on Mr Duterte’s behalf that the former leader “would never allow foreigners to sit in judgment of him as long as Philippine courts are willing and able to do so”. BLOOMBERG
