MANILA – The Quezon City Police District (QCPD) on Wednesday filed a criminal complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte and three others following last weekend’s confrontation with police officers who secured the transfer of her chief of staff from a hospital.
Charges for direct assault, disobedience to authority and grave coercion, all punishable under the Revised Penal Code, were filed by main complainant Lt. Col. Jason Villamor, chief of the QCPD and Medical and Dental Unit and four other QCPD cops before the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office.
Aside from Duterte, also named as respondents in the complaint were Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group (VPSPG) chief, Col. Raymond Dante Lachica and two John Does.
This follows a recent incident at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) involving the transfer of Duterte’s chief of staff, Undersecretary Zuleika Lopez.
Lopez was cited for contempt by the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability and was initially ordered to serve a five-day detention, which was subsequently extended to 10 days due to the disruption.
In a press conference held at Camp Crame, Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesperson Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo showed video footage where Duterte and Lachica were seen pushing Villamor, denying him of fulfilling the order of the House of Representatives to accompany Lopez during her transfer to the VMMC from the St. Luke’s Medical Center.
“In fact if I may share the video, which is already circulating, and this came from the head of security of the VP, they pushed our police officer. This is not an ordinary police officer, this is a doctor and he was precisely there to assist. He was assigned to the QCPD, he was specifically instructed to assist the patient and bring her to the Veterans Hospital. However, he was pushed by Col. Lachica and we cannot let this pass,” Fajardo said in Filipino.
Reports indicate that actions taken may have interfered with the lawful detention order issued by the House of Representatives, as well as disrupted operations at both the detention center and the VMMC.
Duterte also reportedly berated police officers securing Lopez’s transfer by telling them “‘wag kayong bakla (don’t be gay)”, which drew condemnation from the LGBTQ+ community and called it a derogatory remark.
“This obviously can qualify as a case of direct assault. In fact, puwede itong masabi na (this can be considered as) qualified direct assault because he is also a public officer. Malinaw sa ating mga batas na kung ikaw ay (Our laws clearly state that if you are a) public officer and you lay hands against agents of a person of authority whose presence there is by virtue of his performance of his official duty, you can be charged. He was directed to assist the patient and yet he received some cursing but he exercised self-restraint at hindi pumatol (and he did not retaliate), but you can see in the video na tinulak siya mismo (he was pushed),” said Fajardo.
In a statement after the filing of charges, PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil said the police force remains steadfast in its commitment to uphold justice and ensure that all individuals are held accountable under the law, regardless of their position.
“We respect the legal process and trust that the courts will conduct a fair and impartial investigation into these serious allegations. The PNP continues to prioritize the rule of law and will fully cooperate with the ongoing legal proceedings to ensure transparency and accountability,” Marbil said.
“The filing of these complaints marks a crucial step in the legal process, and the PNP assures the public that it will continue to uphold its duty to serve with integrity and professionalism,” he added. (PNA)