Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) chief BGen. Nicholas Torre has filed charges against former President Rodrigo Duterte for inciting sedition and unlawful utterances at the Department of Justice.

The complaint was lodged as part of a "case buildup" under Department Circular No. 20 of the DOJ.

Under the new system, a prosecutor will evaluate the complaint to ensure that there is “reasonable certainty of conviction” and not just “probable cause” before it is filed before the National Prosecution Service.

Torre said, “I am filing this as a citizen, and you know I am a policeman, part of the PNP, to make sure that we protect the citizenry from criminal activities like this. It may seem small, but when uttered by a former president, it could be mimicked or taken seriously by his blind supporters.”

“Kasi nangyari na iyan eh. Di ba sabi niya, papatayin ang mga adik? Nangyari nga, marami ang nagpatayan na hindi na maintindihan kung saan nanggaling. Vigilante palusot, but the fact remains, marami namatay dahil inencourage,” he added.

Torre emphasized that while the PNP-CIDG understands that the President speaks a rather colorful language, such statements should no longer be tolerated.

He added, "It's already Bagong Pilipinas, those statements are no longer accepted. Afterward, it's just 'joke only'—but that's causing confusion. Our country has gone through so much in the past six years; do we really want to bring that chaos again, only for it to be dismissed as 'just a joke'?"

He denied any political motive behind his actions.

"You know, this is beyond politics. I’m not doing this to stir political issues. This is about violations of the law, as written in our laws. These things shouldn’t be treated lightly, especially by someone constantly in the limelight," Torre said.

Duterte’s former Presidential Legal Counsel, Salvador Panelo, has stated that the former President was merely joking.