MANILA — Maj. Gen. Nicolas Torre III, chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), clarified on Tuesday that neither Malacañang nor the Senate directed him to file complaints against former President Rodrigo Duterte.
He emphasized that it was the police’s duty to pursue legal action following Duterte’s controversial remarks about killing senators.
On Monday, Torre lodged complaints against Duterte for inciting to sedition and unlawful utterances as part of a case buildup before the Department of Justice (DOJ).
“The cases I filed, the ones submitted by CIDG to the DOJ, do not require a private complainant,” Torre told reporters at Camp Crame.
“We do not need the Senate, we do not need Malacañang to file this case,” he added.
However, Torre noted that Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil had given his approval before the cases were filed.
“I informed the chief that I would be filing the case, and he said, ‘Go ahead and do your job.’ This is my responsibility. If I failed to file the case and someone else did, it would be embarrassing for the PNP, especially when the violation was made in front of cameras,” Torre explained.
Duterte made the controversial statement during a campaign rally last week, suggesting that 15 senators should be killed in a bomb attack to create vacancies for candidates from his political party.
However, Duterte’s former presidential legal counsel, Salvador Panelo, defended him, claiming the statement was made in jest.
Meanwhile, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Jaime Santiago dismissed the remark as political propaganda.
When asked about Santiago’s comment, Torre declined to respond, citing “professional courtesy.”