A Facebook post circulated earlier this month has prompted a Palace official to seek the involvement of the National Bureau of Investigation, after she said the message left her fearing for her safety.
Undersecretary Claire Castro, a press officer of the Presidential Communications Office, went to the NBI on Tuesday to report a January 2 post published on the Facebook page Luminous by Trixie Cruz-Angeles and Ahmed Paglinawan, a platform associated with self-identified Diehard Duterte Supporters.
Castro told investigators that the post amounted to what she considers “grave threats,” citing language that suggested physical harm once she leaves public service. The message read: “Sana rin, sa bagong taong ito, maintindihan mo na na oras na nilaglag ka ng humans mo, appendix at coxyx (sic) mo lang ang walang latay, resulta ng mga pinagagagawa mo.”
Although the page is jointly managed, the post in question was signed with the initials of Ahmed Paglinawan. Castro said she is personally acquainted with Trixie Cruz-Angeles, who previously served as secretary of the Presidential Communications Office under President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., but does not know Paglinawan. All three are lawyers.
Castro explained that her immediate step was to formally document the matter with authorities. “Right now my plan is to just report this matter because if something happens to me, at least authorities will have a lead on who will they first investigate,” she said, adding that she has yet to decide whether to pursue a criminal case.
She said the post triggered serious concern for her personal security. “The post meant something. It is threatening my life. That’s what I felt when I first read it, and up to now, that’s still what I feel,” Castro said.
While acknowledging the public’s right to express dissenting views, Castro stressed that criticism should not cross into threats or violence. “It is not necessary that if you oppose what someone says, you would threaten their life. No discourse should involve threats to life or violence. They should not imitate their idols,” she said.
In a statement posted on their Facebook page, Cruz-Angeles and Paglinawan rejected Castro’s move, saying her decision to bring the matter to the NBI and to public attention was intended to stifle online criticism. “By making this report and publicizing it to the full extent that the resources of PCO can, she intends an unmistakable chilling effect on others who post their opinions and criticism of public officials in the exercise of their official functions on social media,” they said.
