Reject聽Duterte penchant for death, violence 鈥� House leaders
PDP- LABAN PROCLAMATION RALLY / FEBRUARY 13, 2025
Senatorial bets of the Partido ng Demokratiko Pilipino launch their proclamation rally at Club Filipino in San Juan City on Thursday, February 13, 2025. Former President Rodrigo Duterte is also in the photo.
INQUIRER PHOTO / NIÑO JESUS ORBETA
MANILA, Philippines — House leaders on Sunday urged the public to reject the Dutertes’ alleged normalization of violence and demand accountability, with a Mindanao lawmaker calling on the National Bureau of Investigation to review former President Rodrigo Duterte’s remarks on supposedly killing 15 senators to make room for his party’s candidates.
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Assistant Majority Leader Zia Adiong pointed out that if the NBI investigated remarks made by Vice President Sara Duterte against President Marcos, first lady Liza Marcos, and Speaker Martin Romualdez, the former president’s statements at a recent gathering in San Juan City for the Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) should similarly be subjected to the same level of scrutiny.
“In a democracy, words have power — especially when they come from someone who has held the highest office in the land. If certain statements warrant legal scrutiny, it is imperative that all similar declarations be assessed fairly and consistently,” the Lanao del Sur congressman stressed.
He noted that when Duterte addressed the crowd on purportedly creating vacancies in the Senate for the PDP-Laban’s slate, he allegedly suggested a bombing.
Article continues after this advertisementAdiong expressed deep concern over the former president’s statements, noting how past provocative rhetoric resulted in real-world consequences.
“If making a bomb joke is illegal and is punishable [under the law], threatening to have 15 senators killed should be more so,” he stressed in Filipino.
