FORMER President Rodrigo Duterte flatly denied allegations made by ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro that he has made grave threats.
In his counter affidavit filed by Castro, Duterte said the accusations were “downright baseless, unfounded and grossly insufficient to satisfy the requirements of probable cause to indict me for the crime charged.”
“It bears emphasizing that none of the requisite elements of the crime charged are present considering that I made no actual threat whatsoever to complainant Castro. In the first subject episode [cited in the complaint], I was merely recounting the conversation I had with my daughter, anent the proposed confidential funds of the Office of the Vice-President and the Department of Education,” Duterte said.
He referred to the October 11 episode of his SMNI program Gikan sa Masa, Para da Masa.
Duterte said that: “It was a narration of our private dialogue and my recollection of the advice that I gave Inday Sara concerning said issue as evidenced by the phrases “sabi ko sa kanya,” “prangkahin mo”, “sabi ko kay Inday” and “sabihin mo na sa kanya.”
He added that the alleged threatening statements were not even being addressed to Castro or any individual.
“I was simply reciting the story of my talk with Inday Sara,” he said.
Castro, in response, countered that Duterte cannot wiggle his way out of the complaint by arguing non-intention because his words carry a serious threat, and he has since refrained from making threats against Castro after his shows’s October 11 and November 16 episodes.
