PNP files criminal complaints vs Sara

Criminal cases were filed yesterday against Vice President Sara Duterte and the chief of her security detail for the commotion at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) in Quezon City last weekend.

- By EMMANUEL TUPAS

Quezon City Police District (QCPD) director Col. Melecio Buslig Jr. and officials of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) filed cases of direct assault, disobedience to authority and grave coercion under the Revised Penal Code against Duterte before the Quezon City prosecutor's office at around noon.

Also named respondents were Col. Raymund Dante Lachica, who heads the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group (VPSPG), and several John and Jane Does.

The complainant is Lt. Col. Van Jason Villamor of the QCPD's district medical and dental unit, whom Lachica shoved during a commotion at the VMMC when Duterte's chief of staff, lawyer Zuleika Lopez, was about to be transferred to St. Luke's Medical Center on Saturday.

Villamor, a physician, was assigned to accompany Lopez to St. Luke's when Lachica pushed him away. Duterte was also seen in other videos confronting other police officials.

Videos of the scuffle were shown by PNP public information officer Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo at a news briefing yesterday morning.

“The Philippine National Police remains steadfast in its commitment to uphold justice and ensure that all individuals are held accountable under the law regardless of their position,” PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil said in a statement.

Marbil said the filing of criminal cases against Duterte showed that the PNP respects the legal process, adding they trust the courts will conduct a fair and impartial investigation on their complaints.

In filing the cases against Duterte, Marbil stressed that nobody should be above accountability even if they are elected government officials. He stressed that any attempt to resist or disobey lawful authority undermines the integrity of democratic institutions.