ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro will file a grave threat complaint against former President Rodrigo Duterte today (Tuesday) following the statements he made against the lawmaker in relation to the scrapped confidential funds of his daughter, Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte.
Castro said she will be joined by volunteer lawyers from the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers in filing the complaint before a Quezon City Regional Trial Court.
“This is a crime against a person. These threatening statements of former Presidente Duterte should stop,” she said.
“What I did as a lawmaker, to scrutinize the budget, that is my job,” Castro added.
The elder Duterte came to his daughters’ defense amid controversies over the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education’s requests for a total of P650 million in confidential funds in the proposed 2024 national budget.
Duterte said intelligence funds would be used against the likes of Castro.
“The first target of your intelligence fund would be you, France. I want to kill all you communists,” the former President said.
Castro said the basis of her complaint would be the TV interview of Duterte on SMNI as well as the former President’s previous red-tagging and vilification against her and her group, the Makabayan Bloc.
As this developed, legislators led by the Visayan Bloc in the House have circled the wagons around Speaker Martin Romualdez, whose leadership was being criticized over the Lower Chamber’s decision to realign P1.23 billion in confidential funds.
“We, the Visayan Bloc Members, would like to express our unwavering and resolute support for the esteemed Speaker from the Visayas, Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez,” the manifesto of the Visayan Bloc read.
“We reaffirm our belief that the Speaker has led the House of the People with the principles of unity, integrity, transparency and strict adherence to the Iaw — including adherence to COA audits.”
“We will continue to work with him to deliver on the President’s priority legislative agenda and uplift the lives of Filipinos,” the manifesto added.
Signatories to the manifesto were: Rep. Francisco Benitez (3rd District, Negros Occidental); Rep. Richard Gomez (4th District, Leyte); Rep. Jocelyn Limkaichong (1st District, Negros Oriental); Rep. Carlito Marquez (1st District, Aklan); Rep. Edgar Chatto (1st District, Bohol);
Rep. Lorenz Defensor (3rd District, Iloilo); Rep. Antonio Agapito Legarda, Jr. (Lone District, Antique); Rep. Michael Gorriceta (2nd District, Iloilo); Rep. Ma. Lucille Nava (Lone District, Guimaras); Rep. Julienne Baronda (Lone District, Iloilo City); Rep. Ferjenel Biron (4th District, Iloilo);
Rep. Gerardo Espina (Lone District, Biliran); Rep. Lolita Karen Javier (2nd District, Leyte); Rep. Raul Tupas (5th District, Iloilo); Rep. Joseph Stephen “Caraps” Paduano (Abang Lingkod Partylist); Rep. Gerardo Valmayor (1st District, Negros Occidental); Rep. Alfredo Maranon III (2nd District, Negros Occidental); Rep. Mercedez Alvarez (6th District, Negros Occidental);
Rep. Manuel Sagarbarria (2nd District, Negros Oriental); Rep. Vanessa Aumentado (2nd District, Bohol); Rep. Rachel Del Mar (1st District, Cebu City); Rep. Rhea Mae Gullas (1st District, Cebu); Rep. Janice Salimbangon (4th District, Cebu); Rep. Carl Nicolas Cari (5th District, Leyte);
Rep. Jams Ang (Uswag Ilonggo Partylist); Rep. Peter John Calderon (7th District, Cebu); Rep. Edsel Galeos (2nd District, Cebu); Rep. Emmarie Ouano-Dizon (Lone District, Mandaue City); Rep. Emilio Bernardino Yulo (5th District, Negros Occidental);
Rep. Luz Mercado (1st District, Southern Leyte); Rep. Lex Anthony Colada (Aambis-Owa Partylist); Rep. Maria Fe Abunda (Lone District, Eastern Samar); Rep. Teodorico Haresco, Jr. (2nd District, Aklan) and Rep. Ma. Cynthia Chan (Lone District, Lapu-Lapu City).