Manila, Philippines - The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has formed a fact-finding team to investigate Davao City Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte for alleged human rights violations by forcing a detained suspect to chew and swallow a fake land title he had used in duping informal settlers in the city.
The fact-finding was initiated even after the Davao City police reported that detained suspect Manolito Gayas no longer plans to file any complaint against Duterte.
DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo said, “I can understand the cries against Duterte’s human rights violations but he must also be subjected through the legal process.”
“As of now, we have not yet received a formal complaint against Vice Mayor Duterte and we have to have that complaint against him before we can act on the matter. Like any other accused local government official, he has to go through the legal process.”
Gayas was arrested last July 9 based on complaints by some informal settlers that he peddled counterfeit documents, promising lots in the city in exchange for P250.