Pulong Duterte mum on physical injuries, grave threats complaint

Davao City Representative and reelectionist Paolo "Pulong" Duterte has chosen to remain silent regarding a complaint for physical injuries and grave threats filed against him before the Department of Justice (DOJ).

"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," Duterte said in Cebuano in a video on his Facebook account.

(To my fellow Davaoeños, you have seen another video. It's been quiet 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.)

Duterte said he has yet to receive a copy of the complaint, and his legal team is verifying a video where he was allegedly seen physically assaulting a man.

"Sinabihan ako ng abogado na until now inu-authenticate pa nila kung saan galing 'yung video. So parang nauna 'yung file niyan, ewan kung sa CIDG ba naunang mag-file sa CIDG ang testimony, ang affidavit sa social media instead sa fiscal. So 'di ako makagawa ng statement niyan kasi 'di kami nakatanggap ng dokumento na may nag-file sa akin ng kaso," he said.

(The lawyer told me that until now they are still authenticating where the video came from. It seems that the complaint was filed first, I am not sure if the testimony was first filed with the CIDG, the affidavit was posted on social media first instead of being filed at the fiscal's office. So I cannot make a statement about that because we have not received any documents that someone filed a case against me.)

PNP denies possession of CCTV footage

In a statement, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said that ''it does not have custody of any CCTV footage'' allegedly linked to the incident involving Duterte. 

''The circulating videos online did not originate from the PNP, nor were they obtained or released by any PNP unit or personnel,'' the PNP said on Saturday.

''Likewise, the PNP denies any involvement in the dissemination of the affidavit of the complainant, which has also surfaced in public channels. The document in question was not released by the police, and the PNP has no official role in its circulation.''

The PNP said it respects the legal process and ''any questions or clarifications regarding the merits of the complaint should be addressed to the appropriate office handling the matter.''

A businessman has filed a complaint for physical injuries and grave threats against Duterte before the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Based on the complaint, Duterte was accused of violating Article 265 and Article 282 of the Revised Penal Code.

The incident allegedly took place on February 23, Sunday, at a bar in Davao City.

The filing was confirmed by Prosecutor General Richard Fadullon.

In his sworn statement, the complainant said Duterte threatened him with a knife and beat him up for around two hours.

“At hineadbutt niya ko sa ulo nang maraming beses at ako ay humihingi sa kanya ng patawad kung ano man ang nagawa kong mali sa kanya ngunit patuloy pa rin siya na hineadbutt ang aking ulo at inuundayan niya ulit ako ng kutsilyo,” the complainant said.

(And he headbutted me on the head multiple times, and I was asking him for forgiveness for whatever wrong I might have done to him, but he kept headbutting my head and then threatened me again with a knife.)

He said Duterte turned off the CCTV after noticing that there was one.

“Halos 2 hours niya akong sinaktan sa loob ng bar. Suntok, sampal, tadyak, ang aking inabot kay Paolo Duterte dahil sa galit niya sa akin,” the complainant said.

(He beat me for almost 2 hours inside the bar. Punches, slaps, kicks, that’s what I endured from Paolo Duterte because of his anger toward me.)

After this, he said Duterte handed him P1,000 for each hit.

According to the complainant, he did not seek medical attention or file a legal case due to fear. —KG/VBL, GMA Integrated News