House lawmakers urge NBI to review Duterte’s ‘kill senators’ remark

Metro Manila, Philippines - House lawmakers are urging the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to look into former President Rodrigo Duterte’s remark about killing senators.

Duterte, during the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino - Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) proclamation rally, said senators should be killed to create vacant seats for the candidates he supports.

In separate statements on Sunday, Feb. 16, House Assistant Majority Leaders Zia Adiong and Jay Khonghun said the NBI should review the remark, similar to its investigation into the former chief executive's daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte.

“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,” Adiong said.

“Pareho silang mag-ama. Dapat siguro, kasuhan din ang dating Pangulong Duterte sa ginagawa niyang pananakot,” said Khonghun.

[Translation: The Duterte father and daughter are the same. I think former President Duterte should be charged for his threat.]

House Assistant Majority Leader Jude Acidre earlier pointed out that publicly threatening government officials may be considered inciting to sedition or grave threats.

“Hindi puwedeng balewalain ito kasi nagdadala ito ng tunay na banta sa seguridad, at napipilitan ang gobyerno na gumastos ng pondo at magpakilos ng pulis at militar para tugunan ang banta, kahit pa sinasabi nilang biro lang ito,” Acidre stated.

[Translation: This should not be taken lightly because it threatens our security, and our government is forced to allot funds to mobilize the police and military to address threats, even if you say these are just jokes.]

The Justice Department has been reviewing the NBI’s recommendation to file complaints of inciting to sedition and grave threats against the vice president after she threatened the lives of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Marcos, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

House Assistant Majority Leader Pammy Zamora and House Deputy Majority Leader Paolo Ortega V, meanwhile, criticized the topic of killing as a joke.

“We cannot allow our leaders, past or present, to keep making murder sound like a policy option,” Zamora said.

“Hindi maka-Pilipino ang ugaling ‘yan. Tayong mga Pilipino, hindi natin ginagawa ‘yan, kasi bad ‘yan,” Ortega said.

[Translation: That attitude is not Filipino-like. Us, Filipinos, we do not do that because that is bad.]

House Deputy Minority Leader France Castro and Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Arlene Brosas flagged on Saturday Duterte's “violent rhetoric.”

"These are not jokes. These statements from former President Duterte are dangerous and show the true nature of how they view political opposition - as targets for elimination. This kind of violent rhetoric has no place in a supposed democratic society," Castro said. “Ang mga ganitong pahayag ay nagpapakita ng tunay na kulay ng kanilang pamamahala - na mistulang nagpapapatay o pumapatay ng sinumang kumakalaban sa kanila.”

[Translation: These statements show how they handle a government - they seemingly order the killings of whoever challenges them.]

"Lantaran na pagbabanta at karahasan ang sagot ng mga Duterte sa lumalaking panawagan ng mamamayan para sa hustisya at pananagutan. Pero tapos na ang panahon ng pananakot. Hindi na tatahimik ang mga Pilipino… The Filipino people will not be distracted," Brosas said.

[Translation: Threat and violence are the Dutertes’ response to the growing call of the public for justice and accountability. But the era of intimidation has come to an end. Filipinos will not be silenced.]

In the upper chamber, Senator Risa Hontiveros slammed Duterte’s remark.

“‘Yung sinabi ni Duterte na pumatay daw ng 15 senador para magbigay-daan sa mga kandidato niya, ang talagang dapat patayin o bombahin o ibaba ay ang mga presyo ng bilihin,” she said in an ambush interview on the sidelines of former Senator Kiko Pangilinan’s campaign on Saturday.

[Translation: Duterte stated that 15 senators should be killed to make way for his candidates. But what should be killed is the prices of goods.]

But Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Bong Revilla, allies of the former president, downplayed the kill remark.

“Mapagbiro lang talaga si PRRD [Former President Rodrigo Duterte jokes a lot]. Non issue for me,” said Estrada.

“Sa tingin ko ay bulaklak lang ng bibig ni FPRRD yan [I think those were just flowery words of Duterte]. That's just how he expresses himself,” Revilla said.

During his administration, then president Duterte made several pronouncements of killings. His anti-drug campaign, which led to tens of thousands of extrajudicial killings, has been under scrutiny in the House quad-committee.