Quezon City prosecutor to resolve grave threat case vs Duterte if…
MANILA, Philippines — The Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office will decide on the criminal complaint against former president Rodrigo Duterte based on the pieces of evidence presented against him, after Duterte said he would rather be jailed instead of filing a counter-affidavit after a subpoena was issued against him.
In a text message to The STAR, Rico Domingo, one of the lead counsels of ACT-Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro, said that if Duterte fails to submit his counter-affidavit during the preliminary investigation slated on Dec. 4 and 11, the investigating prosecutor will take into consideration the evidence provided by Castro in resolving the complaint of grave threats against the former president.
“If the prosecutor finds probable cause to file the criminal case in court and put Duterte to trial, he will issue an information and file it in the regional trial court of Quezon City,” Domingo said.
Domingo made the statement after Duterte said that he would choose to be imprisoned rather than address the charges filed against him by Castro.
Quezon City senior assistant city prosecutor Ulric Badiola signed the subpoena ordering Duterte to appear before the fiscal’s office at 2:30 p.m. on Dec. 4 and Dec. 11.
Badiola said the subpoena against Duterte was in line with the preliminary investigation of the case of grave threats filed by Castro against Duterte, in connection with Article 282 of the Revised Penal Code relating to Section 6 of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
He directed Duterte to submit his counter-affidavit as well as the affidavits of his witnesses and supporting documents.
Castro filed a criminal complaint against Duterte, alleging grave threats issued in his television program titled “Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa” on SMNI and aired on Oct. 11, where the former president said, “Pero ang una mong target d’yan (sa) intelligence fund mo, kayo, ikaw France, kayong mga komunista ang gusto kong patayin. Sabihin mo na sa kanya (The first one to target with your intelligence fund, you France, and other communists who I like to kill. Tell her now).”
According to Castro, it was clear that Duterte was referring to her, as during the first part of
