Poe twits Aguirre: You’re not a ‘perya barker’ to agitate pro-Duterte crowd

Senator Grace Poe on Monday chastised Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II for another “tasteless stunt” at the expense of Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.

In a statement, Poe reminded Aguirre that he is “expected to administer justice fairly and not to moonlight as a perya barker who agitates the crowds.”

“That high office entails prudent decision-making which is not served by tasteless stunts that incite the mob. We expect you to be the voice of reason so you can only imagine how many of your countrymen felt betrayed when you abandoned it for rabblerousing,” Poe said.

Poe said this in reaction to Aguirre’s remark, “Sino ang gusto n'yo isunod?”, in a pro-Duterte rally at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila over the weekend.

Aguirre had clarified to GMA News Online that "it's the crowd who wanted it."

"I will prosecute whoever is guilty if there is evidence to support the charges," he added.

Aguirre’s remark was made a day after Senator Leila de Lima, a staunch critic of the President, was arrested over drug charges filed by the Department of Justice (DOJ).

When the crowd shouted back "Trillanes!",  Aguirre replied, “Oh tulungan ninyo ako ha.”

Trillanes, also a vocal critic of Duterte, earlier accused the President of having more than P2 billion in his bank accounts, and urged that the bank transactions be released.

Poe said Aguirre “clearly crossed the line” that night.

“I know that lawyers are given allowances for theatrics, but that night you clearly crossed the line, and in the process trample the ethics that guide you, by asking the people who to prosecute next, as if it were their choice,” she said.

“To say that you have been carried away by the cheers is no excuse. A Justice secretary should be made of sterner stuff, one who is never swayed by partisan provocation, because when he does, he betrays his oath and renders his very own self unfit for the job,” Poe added.

In a separate text message, Senator Joel Villanueva said that while he has full support in the administration, Aguirre’s act was “uncalled for.”

Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III said Aguirre might have just been “kidding and just playing with the crowd.”

Senator Risa Hontiveros, meanwhile, said Aguirre was "dangerously promoting a lynch mob culture."

"The Justice secretary must learn to distinguish between prosecution and persecution. The former is based on legitimate investigation and the painstaking job of building cases, the latter is the outright systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by the state," Hontiveros said.

Trillanes had said that he is ready to be detained and even die as part of the consequences for opposing Duterte.

Justice Undersecretary Erickson Balmes said Aguirre has yet to read the statements of Trillanes and Poe. —with Virgil Lopez/ALG, GMA News