PNP-CIDG chief defends sedition raps vs Rody

Defending his decision to file criminal cases against former president Rodrigo Duterte, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) director Maj. Gen. Nicolas Torre III said it is time to hold him accountable for abandoning police officers who followed his orders during his term.

- EMMANUEL TUPAS

"What if someone does that (kill 15 senators), is he going to say he'll take responsibility for it?" Torre asked, referring to a remark Duterte made during the kickoff rally of his senatorial candidates in the midterm elections.

Torre recalled the case of 17-year-old Kian delos Santos, who was killed by Caloocan police in August 2017 in what was supposed to be an anti-drug operation.

Duterte has said he was willing to go to jail with police officers who carried out his orders, Torre noted.

"Kian delos Santos died. Police officers were convicted. What happened to his promise that he'll take care of it?" he pointed out.

Duterte had also told soldiers they can rape women with impunity, Torre recalled.

Torre said he informed Philippine National Police chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil about the cases before filing.

Marbil approved of his decision to file cases against Duterte, Torre said.

Malacañang was not involved in the filing of cases, he maintained.

While none of the incumbent senators have approached them, Torre said they are willing to assist should senators decide to file complaints against Duterte.

NBI: No probe if no senators complain

Unless a senator files a complaint, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) will not conduct a motu proprio investigation into Duterte's remark about killing 15 senators.

While the agency is ready to look into the issue, NBI Director Jaime Santiago yesterday said it would only do so if a sitting senator comes forward and claims to have felt threatened by Duterte's statement.

"We will look at all angles, how it was delivered, the circumstances of the delivery, how serious it was," he said.