Vice President Sara Duterte’s Christmas message this year was a departure from the usual call for peace and love, instead, she delivered a not-so-veiled warning to critics, telling them that she is not inclined to forgive.
“Christmas is the time for forgiving, loving and giving. I always say that is conditional. As the Vice President, I am expected to say that [forgiving, loving and giving] in my Christmas message. But as for me, I will not forgive,” she said in Filipino during Tuesday’s Office of the Vice President (OVP) thanksgiving event.
“There are different kinds of people… some are quick to forgive, others take longer, [however] a few take their anger to the grave,” Duterte added.
The Vice President was not specific about who she could not forgive, but it is widely believed that she was referring to lawmakers probing alleged funds misuse in the OVP and Department of Education (DepEd) and those seeking her impeachment.
Duterte also appealed to voters to be more circumspect on for whom they are voting, and refrain from “automatically” voting for candidates just because they come from political families.
The Vice President, herself a political scion, urged the public to vote for qualified candidates, and not simply those who frequently dole out “ayuda” or cash aid.
“You do not owe them [politicians] for the cash assistance,” she pointed out.
Duterte’s scathing holiday message comes on the heels of an online tirade in which she confessed to having commissioned an assassin to murder President Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and House Speaker Martin Romualdez in the event of her untimely demise.
Her latest expression of indignation comes as she faces an impeachment complaint filed by advocacy groups on the grounds of alleged corruption, bribery, betrayal of public trust, and other high crimes.
