Pimentel: Kill senators joke may need investigation

SENATE Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III said concerned agencies should determine whether former president Rodrigo Duterte committed a crime when he joked that he would kill 15 senators to make way for his senatorial candidates. "Let DOJ (Department of Justice) and NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) do their work," Pimentel said in a text message when asked to comment on Duterte's remarks. "They should know if given the facts whether a crime has been committed or not. If there is no crime whatsoever then let us drop the issue," he said. But he added that a person's "obsession with the topic of death and killing, mentioning it every time he or she speaks, is a worrying sign of a serious personality disorder." President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Saturday said Duterte's supposed joke is a sign that Duterte's party is worried about its chances against the administration's Senate ticket. The president continued his broadsides against Duterte when he campaigned for the administration's senatorial bets in Carmen, Davao del Norte, the bailiwick of his predecessor. Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada said Duterte was just being playful. "[It's a] Non issue for me," Estrada said in a text message. Reelectionist senator Bong Revilla also played down Duterte's remarks. "That's just how he expresses himself," he said. On Monday, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said the NBI may decide on its own whether to look into alleged threats made by the former president against members of the Senate. "Motu propio (By itself), the NBI can look into that. But tingnan natin (Let's see). We'll see. Alam niyo naman, we're used to the language of the former president, sanay tayo (We'll see. We're used to the language of the president)," Remulla told the media He said that as a matter of policy, the DOJ will not react to every statement made by the Dutertes. "Hindi naman lahat ng sinasabi niya, tatalon tayo (We can't jump at his every word) Pero (But) if the senators themselves complain, then we have reason to act on the matter kasi siyempre sila 'yung ano eh, sila 'yung endangered 'nung ganoong statement (because of course, they are the ones endangered by such statements)," Remulla said. "It can possibly have a ripple effect na hindi natin alam (which we do not know)," he added. NBI Director Jaime Santiago echoed Remulla's position, saying the agency is not inclined to launch an investigation short of an actual complaint. WITH PHILIPPINE NEWS AGENCY