PNP Chief Rejects Claims on Police Attendance
MANILA, Philippines — Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III firmly denied allegations that police officers were forced to watch his charity boxing match against acting Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte. The exact four-word keyphrase “police personnel are obligated” appears early in this report as it addresses the controversy head-on.
Torre labeled the claim made by retired Brigadier General Filmore Escobal as “fake news.” To support his statement, he shared a screenshot of Escobal’s post along with two different text messages. “Hindi po totoo na inobliga natin ang mga pulis na umatend sa charity boxing match. Hindi po kailangan kasi kinulang na nga kami ng ticket na maibenta di ba?” Torre wrote on Facebook.
(It is not true that we oblige our police personnel to attend the charity boxing match. This is not necessary because we had a shortage of tickets we were selling, right?)
Charity Match and Duterte’s No-Show
The highly publicized boxing match took place at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Malate, Manila, on Sunday morning. General Torre was declared the winner by default after Duterte failed to appear at the venue.
Earlier, in a podcast aired last Sunday, Duterte claimed he could defeat Torre in a fistfight. The PNP chief accepted the challenge and suggested making it a charity event. Torre began training last Thursday, but the Bureau of Immigration confirmed that Duterte had already left the country for Singapore.
According to the PNP Public Information Office, over 2,000 people attended the event. Torre announced that the match raised more than P20 million in cash assistance and relief goods for flood victims. These donations will be handed over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Philippine Red Cross, and its Quezon City chapter.
Escobal’s Allegations and Torre’s Response
Torre dismissed Escobal’s accusations, stating, “Ito ay gawa gawa lamang ni retired Brigadier General Filmore Escobal na naging Regional Director sa Davao ng mahigit dalawang taon. Si Escobal ay isa sa mga heneral na kasama ni Digong nung hinuli ko siya at ipinadala sa The Hague.”
(This is made up by retired Brigadier General Filmore Escobal who served as Regional Director in Davao for over two years. Escobal was among the generals with Digong when I arrested him and sent him to The Hague.)
Torre added that Escobal couldn’t even meet his gaze when they met at Villamor Airbase while the PNP chief was escorting former President Rodrigo Duterte to the airplane. Taking another jab, Torre said, “Ni walang attempt na tulungan ang boss niya. Parepareho lang silang mga DUWAG.” (There was not even an attempt to help his boss. They are all cowards.)
Background on the Arrest and Current Status
It was General Torre who oversaw Duterte’s arrest by the International Criminal Court. Duterte remains detained in The Hague, Netherlands, facing charges for alleged crimes against humanity linked to his administration’s drug war campaign.
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