House party leaders slam ex-Pres. Duterte over threats vs. France Castro

Leaders of all political parties in the House of Representatives have called out former President Rodrigo Duterte for his death threats to ACT Teachers party-list Representative France Castro, who is a known critic of his daughter, Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte.

In a joint statement on Saturday, the House political party leaders stressed that they take “utmost exception” to the remarks made by the ex-President in an interview on SMNI last week.

“Our institution, the House of Representatives, has been unwavering in its dedication to the Filipino people. It is deeply unfortunate that the former President chose to malign the very institution that for years supported many of his own legislative priorities,” they said.

In the interview, Duterte revealed that Sara Duterte intends to use her offices' proposed confidential and intelligence funds to revive the mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program in the country.

He said he told his daughter to admit that she will be using the intelligence fund against the alleged communists in the Congress, particularly mentioning Castro.

“Ang sabi ko sa kanya, ‘Mag-prangka ka na lang. Itong intelligence fund na ito, gagamitin ko para sa utak ng Pilipino kasi ito ang target ko, kayong mga komunistang nandiyan sa Congress. Patay kayong mga komunista diyan.’ Prangkahin mo na ‘yan si France,” the elder Duterte said.

(I told her, 'Just be frank about it. I will use this intelligence fund for the Filipinos because my target is the communists in the Congress. You communists will be dead.’ Tell that to France.)

“Ang una mong target sa intelligence fund mo, kayo, ikaw France, kayong mga komunista ang gusto kong patayin. Sabihin mo na sa kanya,” he added.

(Your first target in your intelligence fund is France, the communists, whom you want to kill. Tell her now.)

The House party leaders, in response, urged Duterte to avoid making threats against its members.

“We call upon the former President and all parties involved to avoid making threats or insinuating harm against any member of the House or the institution itself. Dialogue and understanding should always be at the forefront, superseding divisive rhetoric,” they said.

The Office of the Vice President (OVP) is seeking P500 million worth of confidential funds for fiscal year 2024. The Department of Education (DepEd), which Sara Duterte also leads as secretary, also proposed P150 million confidential funds for next year.

The House of Representatives earlier removed P1.23 billion worth of confidential funds of five agencies, including the OVP and DepEd, under the proposed P5.768-trillion budget for 2024.

The House party leaders said the move to reallocate confidential funds to security agencies “was taken in the best interest of national security.”

“It is essential to understand that this decision was made for the benefit of the nation and not as a personal affront to any individual, including Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio,” they said.

“Casting these decisions in a light of personal vendettas is a disservice to the diligent members of the House of the People and the very essence of our democratic process,” they added.

GMA News Online has contacted the camps of former President Duterte and VP Sara Duterte for comment but has yet to receive their replies. —KG, GMA Integrated News