By Ivy Tejano
DAVAO CITY – The Office of the Deputy Ombudsman for Mindanao has officially docketed the affidavit-complaint filed by acting Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte against Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla and other officials over the alleged kidnapping of former President Rodrigo Duterte and several other offenses linked to a March 11 incident.
In a letter dated September 18 and addressed to Mayor Duterte’s counsel, Atty. Israelito Torreon, the Ombudsman’s Mindanao office, confirmed that the complaint had been received on September 15.
The case was filed under Sebastian Zimmerman Duterte versus Juan Victor Remulla, et. al, with reference numbers OMB-M-C-SEP-25-0413 and OMB-M-A-SEP-25-0496.
The same letter noted that Acting Ombudsman Dante F. Vargas had directed the transfer of the case records to the Central Office on September 16 for further proceedings.
Torreon said the docketing ensures the case cannot be cancelled or dismissed without due process and that the next step should be the issuance of subpoenas for the respondents to file counter-affidavits.
He added that their camp has filed a motion asking Vargas to inhibit himself and to have the matter handled by the Ombudsman for Mindanao instead.
On September 15, Mayor Duterte lodged multiple charges against Interior Secretary Juan Victor “Jonvic” Remulla, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año, Justice Secretary Remulla, former Philippine National Police chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil, and former CIDG director Maj. Gen. Nicolas Torre III, other justice and police officials, and the pilots and owner of the Gulfstream G550 aircraft that transported former President Duterte to The Hague.
The charges include kidnapping, arbitrary detention, qualified direct assault, usurpation of judicial functions, serious dishonesty, gross neglect of duty, grave misconduct, disloyalty to the Philippines, abuse of authority, and violations of the Anti-Torture Act and the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
In a separate motion filed on September 17, Duterte’s camp sought Vargas’s inhibition, citing a potential conflict of interest because Vargas’s wife was a former law school classmate of Remulla. His lawyers argued that both impartiality and the appearance of fairness are critical in judicial and quasi-judicial proceedings.
They also asked that the hearings be conducted in Davao City instead of Metro Manila, citing concerns over possible bias, the influence of the respondents, and security risks for the complainant and witnesses.
The case stems from the March 11, 2025, incident at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and Villamor Air Base, where state operatives allegedly accosted former President Duterte without a warrant and reportedly relied on an Interpol diffusion notice, which the complainants argue has no binding legal effect in the Philippines.
The affidavit further alleges that several companions of the former president—including lawyer Martin Delgra, retired police official Nestor Quinsay, and Manuel Ramos—were harassed, restricted in their movements, and unlawfully detained. It also claims the former president was denied urgent medical care and that one of his lawyers was physically restrained while asserting his client’s rights.
The complaint also called for the preventive suspension of the respondents, saying their continued service could endanger witnesses and evidence. The Ombudsman has yet to act on the requests for inhibition, venue transfer, and suspension.
