Ex-cop who went viral for threatening Interpol arrested over inciting to sedition case

Former cop Francis Steve Fontillas is arrested over the same offense often used by former president Rodrigo Duterte to crack down on his critics

MANILA, Philippines – The former police personnel who threatened the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) has been arrested by the local police.

According to a police report, personnel of the Quezon City Police District arrested 31-year-old Francis Steve Fontillas for an inciting to sedition case (Article 142 of the Revised Penal Code) in relation to Section 6 of Republic Act No. 10175 or the Anti-Cybercrime Prevention Act.

Under the Revised Penal Code, inciting to sedition is committed by a person who, “without taking any direct part in the crime of sedition, should incite others to the accomplishment of any of the acts which constitute sedition, by means of speeches, proclamations, writings.”

Fontillas was arrested at around 4 pm on Monday, June 16, along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City.

The former cop was nabbed through a warrant of arrest issued by Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 224 Presiding Judge Zita Marie Atienza Fajardo. The judge recommended a P36,000 bail for Fontillas as inciting to sedition is a bailable charge.

Fontillas’ case stemmed from his allegedly seditious statement where he allegedly encouraged the “toppling down [of] the government and threatening INTERPOL.” The former cop was wearing his police uniform when he made the remarks on March 12 and 13 as he was still part of the police service at the time.

“Said postings went viral and caused unrest to the community,” said the police report.

Fontillas’ viral videos made the rounds on social media following the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte on March 11 over his crimes against humanity case with the International Criminal Court. Duterte was arrested after the ICC had coursed its warrant through the Interpol, which the local police implemented.

The ICC had to do this because the Philippines is no longer an ICC-member state but remains a member of the Interpol.

The former president is currently detained in The Hague, Netherlands, and is awaiting the next steps in his case that stemmed from the killings under his war on drugs and alleged Davao Death Squad.

Apart from his drug war that killed nearly 30,000, according to human rights groups, Duterte is also known for cracking down on his critics. Inciting to sedition was among the cases he used to go after his dissenters.

Under Duterte, former senator Antonio Trillanes IV faced two inciting to sedition complaints: the first was filed after Trillanes mentioned in a privilege speech Duterte’s alleged unexplained wealth, while the second was filed over the former senator’s statements at the height of his amnesty battle against Duterte. A local court had already junked the case against Trillanes in September 2023.

Even ordinary citizens who voiced out opposition against Duterte’s policies faced inciting to sedition complaints.

Under the Marcos administration, Duterte and his allies are now in the receiving end of these complaints. The former president himself is facing an inciting to sedition complaint after he “joked” about killing 15 senators during the campaign for the 2025 midterm elections.

His daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, is also facing inciting to sedition and grave threat complaints due to her assassination remarks against the President, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez. – Rappler.com