PHILIPPINE National Police – Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) chief Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III filed criminal complaints on Monday against former President Rodrigo Duterte for his controversial remarks about killing and bombing senators. The complaints, filed with the Department of Justice (DOJ), allege unlawful utterances and inciting to sedition.
Duterte’s statements, made during a Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) senatorial proclamation rally, involved a joke about using a bomb to kill 15 senators to create vacancies for his preferred candidates.
In a press interview, Brig. Gen. Torre expressed his concern, stating, “It’s a new Philippines. Statements like that, followed by claims of ‘just a joke,’ are no longer acceptable. This kind of talk creates chaos. We’ve suffered enough turmoil in the past six years, and we shouldn’t continue down this path of violence and threats. And then, the excuse that it’s just a joke? Or the latest excuse, that he was merely expressing a legal opinion? That’s simply not acceptable anymore. It’s gone too far.”
Torre emphasized that he filed the complaints both as a Filipino citizen and in his capacity as CIDG chief, highlighting the seriousness of the allegations and the need for accountability. The DOJ will now review the complaints and determine whether to pursue the case.
