Legal action eyed vs. ex-Pres. Duterte over death threats against Makabayan solon

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 13) — The progressive Makabayan bloc is looking into possible legal action versus former president Rodrigo Duterte, after he issued a death threat against one of the group's lawmakers in an interview which is no longer available for viewing.

During Sonshine Media Network International's (SMNI) 'Gikan ng Masa' interview with Pastor Apollo Quiboloy on Tuesday, the former president defended his daughter, Sara Duterte, for requesting ₱500 million and ₱150 million in secret funds for the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education, respectively.

Duterte said the first target of his daughter's proposed secret funds should be ACT-Teachers Rep. France Castro. He red-tagged the minority lawmaker and the rest of the Makabayan bloc.

The interview has since been made private on the SMNI's YouTube channel, which was earlier shut down for violating guidelines. Quiboloy, Duterte's spiritual advisor, is wanted by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for sex trafficking, fraud, coercion, and bulk cash smuggling.

«We will not be silenced by threats and intimidation. We will continue to advocate for government transparency and the abolition of confidential funds. We in the Makabayan bloc are also looking into possible legal actions against him,» Gabriela Party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas said Thursday.

«Threatening the lives of elected representatives is a blatant violation and a dangerous attack on the rights of individuals who are merely pushing for transparency and accountability in government spending,» she continued.

National Union of Peoples' Lawyers Secretary General Kristina Conti said Duterte should be charged with direct threats against Castro, as his statement «comes with the context that he is personally capable and willing to see these kinds of threats through.»

It was his administration that waged the bloody war on drugs which saw thousands killed and rampant human rights violations committed.

Castro, meanwhile, has not responded to Duterte's threat.

Brosas added that it was unsurprising that Duterte, whom she described as misogynistic and violent, would issue death threats against progressive