Vice President Sara Duterte sought to clarify what she really meant in her online confession about plotting to murder President Marcos, First Lady Liza Marcos and House Speaker Martin Romualdez, saying her remarks were “not a threat” and were made out of fear for her security.
“I don’t think the volume was turned on low during my Zoom press conference. I said if I am killed… What I meant… in the first place, there is a threat against me. But they simply do not care that I am also concerned about my security because I hear things,” Duterte explained in a mixture of Filipino and English.
The supposed clarification came after lawmakers and legal experts alike said that such an admission carries with it legal consequences, not the least of which is possible impeachment.
Others, however, described Duterte’s latest tirade, and her almost immediate backpedaling as a sign that the pressures of her office are taking a toll on her mental health.
Duterte made the assassination remarks during a virtual press conference on Saturday morning, shortly after House leaders ordered the transfer of her Chief of Staff, lawyer Zuleika Lopez, to the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City.
“I have already talked to someone [about the assassination plan]. I told the person, kill BBM, Liza Araneta and Martin Romuladez. No joke. I already gave out orders,” she told reporters during the online briefing.
It can be recalled that the Vice President also publicly talked about exhuming the body of the late Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and throwing it into the West Philippine Sea, and how she daydreams about decapitating Marcos Jr.
She emphasized that simply discussing an idea does not equate to acting on it.
Meanwhile, Duterte tried to shift the focus of public attention towards the supposed injustice being committed against Lopez, who is reportedly ailing.
“It’s like they are guarding a criminal. Look at this… they are wasting so much manpower to guard a person who is only being held in contempt,” she pointed out.
During a hearing at the Lower Chamber last week, Lopez insisted that she did not know how the Office of the Vice President (OVP) spent its confidential funds, causing congressmen to her cite in contempt and order her provincial detention
Lawmakers also said that Lopez made efforts to deny the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability access to audit documents on the OVP’s confidential and intelligence funds.
“I’m just trying to restrain myself. I just want to work. I just want you to wrap up your son of a ***** show at the House of Representatives, so we can get back to work,” the Vice President also said.
The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) labeled Duterte’s statements as an “active threat” and referred the matter to the Presidential Security Command (PSC) for action.
“Any threat to the life of the President and the First Family, regardless of its origin—and especially one made so brazenly in public—is treated with the utmost seriousness. We consider this a matter of national security and shall take all necessary measures to ensure the President’s safety,” the PSC stated.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline: “VP Sara says ‘kill order’ vs First Couple, Speaker only hypothetical, not a ‘threat’”
