VP Sara Duterte: Complaint filed vs. Pulong a 'political attack'

Vice President Sara Duterte dismissed the complaint filed against her brother, Davao City Representative Paolo "Pulong" Duterte, for physical injuries and grave threats, as part of the Marcos administration’s alleged political attacks on their family.

The vice president, who was in Zamboanga City on Saturday, claimed that the Marcos administration just wants to destroy the image of their enemies to “cover up” the real issues in the country.

“Every time nagkakaroon sila ng issue, malaking issue na kabalbalan na ginagawa nila, ang kanilang pang-cover sa mga issue na ito ay atakihin ‘yung kalaban nila sa politika,” Sara Duterte said in an ambush interview.

(Every time there’s a big issue because of their wrongdoings, they attack their political opponents as a way to cover up these issues.)

She said that she has not talked with Pulong yet regarding the issue, and is uncertain if their father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, already heard about it.

For Malacañang’s part, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said that they will answer the Vice President’s allegation in a press briefing on Monday. 

“We will just check these statements so we can respond intelligently without resorting to gutter language,” Castro told GMA News Online.

Rodrigo Duterte is currently detained at the Scheveningen Prison in The Hague for charges of crimes against humanity for the extrajudicial killings during his administration’s war on drugs.

A businessman earlier filed a complaint for physical injuries and grave threats against Pulong before the Department of Justice, accusing the congressman of violating Article 265 and Article 282 of the Revised Penal Code.

In his sworn statement, the complainant said that Pulong threatened him with a knife and beat him up for around two hours on February 23 at a bar in Davao City.

Pulong, on the other hand, has chosen to remain silent regarding the complaint.

“Sa mga kapatid kong Davaoeño, ngayon may nakita na naman kayong video. Matagal-tagal na itong nangyari. Ah sige lang, nasa sa inyo pa rin ang desisyon kung sino ang inyong ibobotong congressman sa unang distrito. 'Di ako makikialam,” he said in Cebuano in a video on his Facebook account.

(To my fellow Davaoeños, you have seen another video. It's been quite some time since this happened. Ah, it's okay, the decision is still up to you as to who you will vote for as congressman in the first district. I will not interfere.) —KG, GMA Integrated News