Former President Rodrigo Duterte has issued a bold response to a subpoena summoning him to the Quezon City Prosecutors Office regarding a criminal complaint filed by ACT Representative France Castro.

Duterte, facing accusations of Grave Threats under the Revised Penal Code and the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, declared, “Magpakulong na lang ako. Kasi wala naman akong… Ino-oppress ako ni France” (I’d rather go to jail. Because I’m being oppressed by France), during an interview on the Sonshine Media Network International’s Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa program.

The criminal complaint stems from Duterte’s statements on the same program last October, where he suggested using confidential funds to combat communist insurgency in Congress and singled out Castro.

Duterte, known for his free speech stance, intensified his criticism, red-tagging Castro and her party, ACT, as rebels attempting to undermine the country.

“Alam mo, itong si France, [ang] partylist niyan, ACT (You know, France’s party list is ACT). They are the left, who are the members of the Communist Party of the Philippines,” Duterte said.

“Then they joined the mainstream. Sumingit sila sa mainstream; mga rebelde ‘yan e. Gusto nila sirain ang Pilipinas,” he added.

In response to the subpoena, Duterte expressed his reluctance to comply, emphasizing his perceived oppression by Castro. He asserted that the alleged threats he made were part of intelligence efforts against communist insurgency.

In a related development, Harry Roque, Duterte’s former spokesperson, downplayed the feasibility of Duterte carrying out any threats against Castro, citing the former president’s age and the existing political conditions in the Philippines.

Castro, who had previously sued Duterte for death threats, recently obtained a summons against him, marking the first legal challenge to Duterte since leaving office in 2022. Quezon City prosecutors ordered Duterte to appear on December 4 and 11 for the investigation.

Despite the legal developments, Duterte remained combative, questioning Castro’s vulnerability and dismissing rumors of a planned impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte, his daughter.

Duterte warned, “Do not ever think, France… na may armor ka na dahil congresswoman, member ka ng Congress, na you are no longer vulnerable sa galit ng karami na namatay diyan na sundalo pati pulis dahil sa inyo” (Do not ever think, France, that you have armor just because you are a member of Congress, that you are no longer vulnerable to the anger from the deaths of the military and police because of you).