Malacañang responded Monday to Vice President Sara Duterte’s recent remarks during a gathering in the Netherlands, where she referenced her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, in comparison to the late Sen. Benigno ‘Ninoy’ Aquino Jr.
During her speech, Vice President Duterte said, “Pa, I said your desire to return home would also be the end of your life; you would become like Ninoy Aquino Jr.”
Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro questioned the comparison, highlighting that former President Duterte had previously likened himself to German dictator Adolf Hitler, not Aquino.
“Is VP Sara comparing her father to the late Ninoy Aquino? We never heard former President Duterte compare himself to Ninoy, but rather to Hitler,” Castro said. She cited a controversial statement by the former president:
“Hitler massacred three million — actually, supposed to be six million — Jews. Now, there are three million drug addicts in the Philippines. I’d be happy to slaughter them. At least if Germany had Hitler, the Philippines would have me,” Duterte said in 2016.
“It’s a far stretch to compare former President Duterte to Ninoy Aquino, who had no record of mass murder or crimes against humanity,” Castro noted.
Castro also expressed skepticism on the concerns of the Duterte family, challenging VP Duterte to cite the source of the alleged threats against the former president.
“That’s what is puzzling, where are these stories coming from? Where is the comparison to Ninoy Aquino or these alleged threats coming from? As a matter of fact, the supposed threats against VP Sara have yet to be shown to the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) or the PNP (Philippine National Police),” according to the PCO official.
“So, where are these statements based on? We need evidence before making such claims. There’s no truth to it,” Castro added.