Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero said on Wednesday, February 19 that the best way to express ones opinion regarding former president Rodrigo Duterte’s tirades is through the ballot. 

Escudero pointed this out when he was asked about Duterte’s threat of killing 15 senators to guarantee there are enough seats for his senatorial candidates which he is endorsing under the Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban). 

The Senate chief said he doesn’t feel alluded to when the former president issued such strongly-worded remarks but was saddened over it.

“I don’t feel alluded to, parang di ko naman naramdaman na isa ako dun sa 15 (but I don’t feel that I am part of that 15 senators he wanted killed),” Escudero said during a press conference held in Quezon City.

“Nakakalungkot man mga ganyang pahayag, namamanhid man tayo sa mga ganyang pahayag, na parang ok na rin dahil nasanay tayo sa anim na taon puro ganun. Sana kung may sagot man dun, bwelta man dun, siguro sa balota na lang natin tingnan, sa pamamagitan ng ating mga kababayan (Even though such statements are unacceptable, even if we seem numb to such statements, which seems to be okay because we have been used to it for six years, I still hope that if there’s an answer to that, or if we want to retaliate, then maybe we should do it through the ballot, through our countrymen),” he stressed.

“At huwag na sa pamamagitan ng demanda (not through a lawsuit),” he pointed out. 

The Philippine National Police – Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) already filed criminal complaints against the former president at the Department of Justice (DOJ) for unlawful utterances and inciting to sedition.

Nevertheless, Escudero said he also doesn’t believe any of the senators actually felt threatened by Duterte’s remark. 

“I just saw some of them during the birthday of one of the senators, and that was not actually talked about,” he said. 

As such, he thumbed down any plans of bringing the said issue before the courts.