DAVAO CITY – Davao City first district Rep. Paolo Duterte criticized former Philippine National Police chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III’s remarks on the impending arrest of a staunch ally, Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, over the charges he is facing before the International Criminal Court.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Nov. 19, Duterte said Torre lacked the credibility to issue threats or comments on international legal matters.

“Before Torre fantasizes about ‘arresting anybody,’ he should first arrest the memory gap of the Filipino public because almost no one remembers he was PNP chief,” he said, describing Torre’s term as “an intermission, a placeholder, a bookmark in a chapter that nobody read.”

Duterte questioned Torre’s attempt to speak on issues involving international law, noting that the Philippines is not a member of the ICC. “As if a few days in office suddenly makes him the oracle of sovereignty?” he said.

The lawmaker said the comparison between their records was stark. “Bato actually served, fought, and bled for this country. Torre barely had time to find the comfort room in Camp Crame before being replaced,” he said.

He described Torre’s recent public comments as an attempt to remain relevant. “His sudden loudness now is not courage. It’s bitterness masquerading as relevance,” he said, adding that credibility “is earned over time and Torre never served long enough to earn any.”

Duterte urged Torre to refrain from issuing statements that carried no weight. “Short-term chiefs should not issue long-term threats.” He added that his time in office was even shorter than the patience of PNP officers, who wondered how someone so politically weak had become their leader.

Duterte also criticized Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla for suggesting that rallies and public criticism border on “inciting sedition.”

In a statement on Tuesday, Duterte said the DILG Secretary seemed to disregard the basic rights guaranteed under the 1987 Constitution, emphasizing that the Bill of Rights has been in effect since its ratification.

“Until now, the Constitution seems like it is just optional reading for you,” the lawmaker said. “Freedoms of speech, expression, and assembly form fundamental democratic principles. Not everyone who disagrees with you is committing sedition.”

Sedition is defined as the act of a group of people publicly and tumultuously rising to achieve particular aims through force, intimidation, or any means outside of legal methods.

“Maybe you are just being hypersensitive when you’re being criticized,” Duterte added.