Former President Rodrigo Duterte has been summoned by the Office of the City Prosecutor of Quezon City to answer allegations of grave threats filed against him by ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro.
In a subpoena issued by Senior Assistant City Prosecutor Ulric Badiola, the former president was ordered to appear and submit his counter affidavit before the Office of the City Prosecutor on December 4 and 11, 2023.
“Under and by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Revised Charter of Quezon City and other existing laws, respondent [Duterte] is hereby commanded to appear before the Office of the City Prosecutor, Justice Cecilia Muñoz Palma Building (Department of Justice), Elliptical Road, Quezon City,” the subpoena read.
The subpoena also provided that Duterte, during the same dates, should also submit affidavit/s of his witnesses and supporting documents, if any.
The conflict between the former president and Castro started when FPRRD addressed critics of his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, over the confidential funds in his “Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa” program.
“So itong intelligence fund na ito is to prepare the minds of the Filipinos sa insurgency na hindi matapos tapos and the ROTC para preparado tayo kung magka gyera ganitong sitwasyon ngayon, pag wala tayong sundalo, meron tayong mga bata who will take care of their respective barangay to help government. Pero ang una mong target sa intelligence fund mo kayo, ikaw France Castro, kayong mga komunista ang gusto kong patayin. Sabihin mo (Inday) sa kanya (France),” the former president said.
“Bakit parang ako pa ang may kasalanan? The Dutertes have always challenged people to file charges against them when they do something wrong. Now that they have been charged, they will still attack the victim,” Castro countered in a separate interview.
Davao City First District Representative Paolo “Pulong” Duterte lambastesmd Castro and told her not be “onion-skinned” following her filing of a criminal complaint against the former president.
“It is imperative upon me to stand by my family and protect my family. I think kahit sino naman, ganun ang gagawin. That’s where I’m coming from. You filed a case, let the court look at the merits. Simple as that. Gaya ng sinabi ko, it is your right. But I heard worse. I just wish na sana yung passion mo to sensationalize this further is the same to your passion to protect the farmers and innocent victims na pinatay at biktima ng mga NPA,” Rep. Pulong said.
“The former president has received much harsher and humiliating criticisms in the past but never filed a case against anyone. As public servants, we all are under scrutiny by the Filipino people. If the former president has said something that threatened her, then maybe she should come out clean. Di yung nagtatago tayo sa likod ng so-called right na ito. Tigilan na lang natin ang kadramahan at pagpapa-media,” he said.
