Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday said her “designated survivor” quip was neither a joke nor a threat, and that she owes nobody an explanation if her statement was misunderstood.
During an interview in Cebu, the Vice President left reporters hanging as to what she really meant by the controversial remark.
“It was not a joke… it was not also a bomb threat. I think many missed the point,” Duterte said in a combination of Cebuano and English.
“As for me, if you haven’t understood it the first time, then you don’t deserve my explanation,” she said.
Duterte also sounded bewildered at the public’s reaction to her impending absence from the SONA on Monday.
“It is only now that I have seen a Vice President’s attendance being sought in all things,” she noted.
Duterte was present during Mr. Marcos’s first two SONAs.
Meanwhile, lawmakers and political commentators are up in arms over what they consider a joke in bad taste.
