Ex-Philippine Leader Duterte Sued by Lawmaker for Grave Threats

Cliff Venzon
·2 min read
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(Bloomberg) -- A Philippine lawmaker on Tuesday filed a criminal complaint against ex-President Rodrigo Duterte for what she described as a “serious threat” to her life, alleging that the former leader threatened to kill her during a TV interview this month.

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France Castro, deputy minority leader at the House of Representatives, said the former president must be held accountable now that he no longer enjoys immunity from lawsuits as a private citizen. Castro was among the lawmakers who had criticized Duterte’s daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, for seeking confidential funds in the 2024 budget.

The 78-year-old ex-president was known for his fiery, often expletives-ridden remarks when he ran the country for six years until mid-2022. Duterte has yet to issue an official statement and his aides have not immediately responded to requests for comment. Grave threat is punishable by up to six months in jail.

The complaint filed by Castro cited Duterte’s interview with SMNI, a broadcasting company owned by Philippine television evangelist Apollo Quiboloy who’s a known Duterte supporter. In the interview which aired on Oct. 11, Duterte mentioned Castro’s name as he railed against “communists” 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,” 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 this year sought to reopen an investigation on alleged crimes against humanity committed under Rodrigo 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.

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,” his former spokesperson Harry Roque said then on Duterte’s behalf in response to the ICC’s decision.

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