'Ludicrous': Panelo blasts Torre over charges against Duterte

Former Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo on Tuesday lambasted Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) chief BGen. Nicholas Torre for filing grave threats, inciting to sedition, and unlawful utterances charges against former President Rodrigo Duterte, calling Torre a “tower of ignorance and an edifice of nonsense.”

Panelo ridiculed the allegations as “outright dismissible,” insisting there is no legal basis to support Torre’s complaint.

“Don’t they have anything sensible and productive to do, other than doing foolish things?” he asked, adding that the senators supposedly threatened by Duterte’s comments saw them merely as a joke. “No one among the senators alluded to has said anything about the alleged ‘threat’ against their lives.”

He further pointed out that the former President’s statement might even be interpreted as a “welcome gesture” toward the senators. “It may be viewed as an unwitting acknowledgement that the administration senatorial candidates are strong and hard to beat,” Panelo said.

Duterte’s remarks grabbed headlines after he spoke at PDP-Laban’s proclamation rally on 11 February, where he endorsed his nine-member Senate slate ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. During his speech, Duterte "joked" that some senators should be killed via bombing to ensure his allies — including re-electionists Senators Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa and Christopher “Bong” Go, as well as Sagip Rep. Rodante Marcoleta — could secure their seats. The midterms will see 12 Senate seats contested out of the chamber’s 24 members.

Torre had earlier defended his move to file charges, stressing it was part of upholding public safety. “When uttered by a former president, it could be mimicked or taken seriously by his blind supporters,” he said. He also emphasized that Bagong Pilipinas, the current administration's vision for the nation, calls for a shift away from such inflammatory remarks that sow confusion, regardless of whether they are intended as jokes.