House leaders to public: Reject Duterte penchant for death, violence

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 — The public has been urged by House leaders 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.

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, said Assistant Majority Leader Zia Adiong.

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“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.

Adiong 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.