Senators Urge PNP to Take VP Duterte's Threats Claim Seriously

MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian on Sunday called on the Philippine National Police to take Vice President Sara Duterte’s claims of threats seriously amid the issuance of an arrest warrant against her over grave threats charges. He stressed that everyone should feel safe in the country. “The most important thing for me is the safety of everyone, including our vice president. That is the most important thing. If there is a threat to our vice president, a threat to her life, to her family, that should be taken seriously,” he said in an interview with dzBB on Sunday. READ: Castro dismisses Duterte’s claim of fearing for life as ‘drama’ “I’m calling on the police to investigate on their own where the alleged threats were coming from because this is not good. Anybody, whether it is the vice president or an ordinary person, our government should protect them from any threats and anything bad that may happen to them. We want a society that is safe,” Gatchalian added. Sought for comment on the timing of the issuance of the arrest warrant against Duterte, the Senate president said the investigations being conducted by other agencies cannot be controlled. “There are simultaneous investigations happening, so we cannot control how these investigations go. Depending on the evidence they gather, how airtight these cases are, we cannot control that. In the impeachment court, we just keep going,” he said, adding that they aim to finish the trial before December. /mcm