Former President Rodrigo Duterte did not appear in the first hearing of the preliminary investigation of the grave threat complaint filed against him by a congresswoman before a Quezon City prosecutor.

Deputy House Minority Leader and Act Teacher’s Partylist Rep. France Castro filed the charges under Article 282 of the Revised Penal Code in relation to Section 6 of Republic Act No. 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 against Duterte over alleged threats to kill her.

During the hearing, Duterte was represented by two lawyers from the law office of former Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea.

“The two counsels of ex-President Duterte were there and they said he did not yet receive the subpoena and my complaint,” Castro told reporters.

“Today, his two counsels received my complaint affidavit and supplemental complaint affidavit for today as they submitted their entry of appearance,” she added.

In a statement sent to The Daily Manila Shimbun on Viber, Castro said Duterte was ordered to “personally appear” in the next hearing.

“Respondent (Duterte) is ordered through the same subpoena to personally appear and file his counter-affidavit,” she said.

In her nine-page supplemental complaint affidavit, Castro said that after she filed her grave threat complaint on November 24.

The hearing was reset for December 15 at the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office.

Jaspearl Tan/DMS