Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is now confronted with a criminal complaint due to controversial statements he made during a recent campaign rally, where he suggested that 15 senators should be killed in a bombing to create more vacancies for candidates from his party. This complaint was submitted by police Maj. Gen. Nicolas Torre III to the Department of Justice and marks the latest in a series of legal challenges faced by the former president and his family under the current administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The Philippines is currently in the midst of campaigning for half of the 24 Senate seats ahead of the mid-term elections scheduled for May 12. Supporters of Duterte have defended his comments as mere humor intended to energize the crowd during a political event aimed at promoting nine senatorial candidates from his PDP-Laban party.
During the rally, Duterte remarked, “Let’s kill senators now so there will be vacancies,” adding, “If we can kill about 15 senators, we’re in…the only way to do it is, let’s just stage an explosion.” Torre reacted strongly, emphasizing that the days of Duterte making threats without repercussions are over. He noted that the country endured significant hardships during Duterte’s six-year presidency and questioned the normalization of threats of violence, even if they are later dismissed as jokes.
Torre also pointed out the potential danger in Duterte’s statements, warning that his supporters might take such comments seriously and act upon them.
Compounding the political turmoil, Duterte’s daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, is undergoing an impeachment trial, partly due to her own controversial remarks where she appeared to threaten the lives of Marcos, his wife, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez, in the event of an attack against her. The vice president has refuted claims that her comments constituted threats, despite the fact that her statements indicated as much.
Additionally, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has been conducting investigations into the high number of deaths associated with Duterte’s aggressive anti-drug campaign, which has resulted in the deaths of thousands of predominantly impoverished individuals. While Duterte has consistently denied authorizing extrajudicial killings during his presidency, he has also been known to openly issue threats against suspected drug dealers throughout his tenure.
