The Department of Justice (DOJ) has begun its probe on the statements issued by former House speaker and incumbent Davao del Norte 1st District Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez who was reported to have urged the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to withdraw its support to the administration of President Marcos.
“I have ordered an investigation on the statements of Congressman Pantaleon Alvarez to determine whether it has risen to the level of Sedition, Inciting to Sedition or even Rebellion,” said Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla in a statement issued on Tuesday, April 16.
“As a former lawmaker myself, I would like to remind Congressman Alvarez to act in accordance with the highest standards of ethics, morality and nationalism, and avoid remarks unbecoming of a member of the House of Representatives,” Remulla said.
Camiguin Rep. Jurdin Jesus M. Romualdo had earlier called on the DOJ to file the charges against Alvarez.
Romualdo said “what former Speaker Alvarez remarked during a rally in Tagum City falls within the purview of sedition.”
“The response to the seditious statement should be the immediate filing of a criminal case so that the move to incite people, including the military, to rebel against the government will be nipped in the bud,” he declared.
Alvarez could not be contacted for comment as of posting.