Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel (left), former president Rodrigo Duterte (Rep. Manuel's office, Malacañang photo)

Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel has welcomed the Quezon City Prosecutor's Office's issuance of a subpoena against former president Rodrigo Duterte in connection with the latter's grave threat case against ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro. 

Manuel went as far to say that Duterte "deserved" it. 

"Dasurb! (Deserved!) He aimed to intimidate lawmakers calling to abolish confidential funds and stop its abuse by public officials (including his daughter, the sitting VP)," Manuel said. 

"No portion of public funds should be shrouded in secrecy. No single human should be exempted from accountability," he added. 

Manuel and Castro both belong to the militant Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives. 

The subpoena was basically to have Duterte explain his side in connection with the grave threat raps, which Castro filed last month. Duterte has been specifically summoned to appear at the prosecutor's office on Dec. 4 and 11, 2023. 

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https://mb.com.ph/2023/11/15/makabayan-solon-castro-glad-over-issuance-of-subpoena-vs-duterte

It was last October when Duterte said in a television interview that Vice President Sara Duterte's confidential funds would be used for the reestablishment of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) and to fight off communist recruiters in the educational system.    

“Pero, ang una mong target sa intelligence fund mo, kayo, ikaw France, kayong mga komunista ang gusto kong patayin,” he said.    

(But the first target of your intelligence fund, you people, you France, you communists are the ones I want to kill.)    

Vice President Duterte is the concurrent education secretary.