Former president Rodrigo R. Duterte has threatened Police Maj. Gen. Nicolas D. Torre III with a lawsuit from his family once the two-star police official retired from the service.
Torre, the acting director of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) of the Philippine National Police (PNP), revealed this on Thursday during a panel discussion of the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) hosted by Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro.
He said that Duterte made the threat while being taken into custody after the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) served the arrest warrant to the former president on March 11.
“Mismong si (dating) Presidente Duterte ay ni-remind na ako, magre-retire ako, at aasuntuhin ako ng kanyang mga anak at ng kanyang mga kamag-anak. Tine-threaten niya ako,” Torre said.
Torre reported that the police officers assigned to arrest Duterte were also physically and verbally attacked by members of Duterte’s family.
“Itinulak ako ni Honeylet (Avancena). Tinabig niya ako at malakas ang pagkatabig niya noong nagkasalubong kami sa hallway. Nasa video naman na minura ako ng kanyang anak (Kitty),” Torre said.
One of the women’s police escorts was attacked by Avancena, hitting her head with a mobile phone, PNP Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo, said.
Amid the verbal and physical abuse by the Dutertes, Fajardo said the police officers maintained their cool in serving the arrest order.
“In fact, ‘yung mga pulis natin dun ay pinagmumura din. Pinagsabihan ng masasakit na salita at si Ms. Honeylet po ay pinukpok pa po sa ulo ‘yung isang police po natin at nag-sustain po ito ng napakalaking bukol sa kanyang noo at dinala sa ospital,” Fajardo said.
Meanwhile, Fajardo reminded police officers to be professional.
“But for as long as they are members of the PNP, ay mayroon po tayong mga dapat pong i-observe na mga protocol with respect sa airing po ng ating mga personal sentiments,” she said.
Fajardo said the police force remains in high morale even after assisting in the arrest of their former commander-in-Chief. | PND
