Pulong reminded: Your father is no longer president

REP. France Castro (PL, ACT) yesterday reminded her colleague Davao City Rep. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte that his father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, should be made accountable for his actions especially now that he is no longer the occupant of Malacañang.

“Hindi na presidente ang tatay niya. Kailangang harapin niya na kung ano man ‘yun consequences and accountability (His father is no longer the president. He needs to face whatever the consequences of his actions and his accountability),” Castro told reporters.

The militant lawmaker, who is a member of the Makabayan bloc, was reacting to the statement of the younger Duterte who earlier said public servants should not be “onion-skinned” when criticized.

Rep. Duterte was commenting on the criminal complaint filed by Castro against the former president before the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office last Tuesday after the latter threatened her life in a television interview, which was also posted online.

Castro filed a complaint of grave threat under Article 282 of the Revised Penal Code and Section 6 of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 against the former chief executive for his statements in an October 11 interview with Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) where he defended his daughter Vice President Sara Duterte’s request for confidential funds under the proposed P5.768 trillion national budget for 2024.

The elder Duterte said in the interview that he told the Vice President that she should have been candid enough to tell members of the militant Makabayan bloc in Congress that they are really the target of the confidential funds that she was requesting and that he wants to kill Castro and all groups he branded as communists.

The ex-president’s son said Castro should not make use of the right to seeks redress in courts “as a tool to silence critics,” pointing out that his father did not resort to the same despite the “much harsher and humiliating” criticisms he drew during her incumbency.

Castro said militant lawmakers and activists had endured being subjected to name-calling, red-tagging, villification and harassment under the Duterte administration.

“Pero iba na tong death threat na binanggit ng