2 weeks Ago By [email protected] (Joseph Pedrajas)
Vice President Sara Duterte has no plans of leaving the country and hiding abroad amid the possibility that several charges, including a non-bailable terrorism case, will be filed against her over the supposed death threat she made against President Marcos. "I do not plan to leave the country or I do not plan to hide if there will be a warrant of arrest because my children are here. So if I'm detained, I want to be able to still see my children," Duterte said.
The Vice President made the pronouncement in a press conference after ditching for the second time on Wednesday, Dec. 11, a National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) probe to attend a Thanksgiving party with the media. Duterte said she skipped the agency's investigation because she knew it would already be biased based on the remarks made by Marcos himself.
Instead, she said, she submitted a position paper and an affidavit regarding the supposed threats she made against Marcos, his wife Liza, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez. "I don't think magiging patas itong imbestigasyon na ito dahil kung nakita nyo naman yung mensahe ng pangulo..
.meron ng bias doon (The investigation will be fair because, as you can see from the pronouncement of the President, there is already a bias there)," she said. In his response to Duterte's statement, Marcos in a video message said that "such a criminal act of plotting the assassination of the President would not be ignored," and that he would "fight" back.
Duterte also said she was wondering why a violation of anti-terrorism law was also cited as a possible charge against her when she only made supposed death threats. So napaisip ako bakit anti-terror law ang iniimbestigahan nila..
. So the first time I read about it, they used it against Congressman Arnie Teves. So I inquired about what happened in Negros, so I was told, yung sa red notice, there was a AMLAC, freezing of assets, money," she said.
"And very recently, I read again the law, and then I found there that there is a provision there 'removal from office.' So on that point, it's still kumbaga [like] an avenue to remove me from office," she added. Impeachment raps On the other hand, the Vice President said that she is ready to face all the impeachment cases filed against her, which she is expecting to reach three.
She also said that while she may not secure a number of lawmakers who will vote against her removal from office, she is confident that she cannot be impeached on the bases of her actions. "We are confident with the legal aspect of the impeachment because all the lawyers that I asked to review the initial drafts of the impeachment complaint. And they said this is not, let's say, it's not an impeachable offense, and this is not an actionable offense," she said.
"But with regard to politics, that is a different matter altogether," she added. Duterte said she already anticipated the filing of impeachment raps against her since ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro hinted at making the move last year.
"In fact, the moment that France Castro announced last year that they are planning to file an impeachment, we already talked to lawyers who will handle the impeachment case at the time," she said. "But now cases pala—three, so we just need more lawyers. And we already discussed this with the first team that we hired as lawyers," she added.
Duterte also said that her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, offered to extend financial assistance but she refused to accept it because she was already prepared. Currently, Duterte said she and her team are only awaiting the articles of impeachment, which they will review. Smear job against her Meanwhile, Duterte alleged the government is already making a smear job against her ahead of the 2028 presidential elections to turn the public opinion against her.
She also believed it is because Romualdez, the cousin of the President, is dreaming of becoming the next president based on her "personal knowledge"—one that she was able to "eavesdrop," she said. "That is a common strategy in politics, black propaganda and everything. Will it hurt my chances" I'm not yet a candidate.
So right now, I am just the Vice President of the Republic of the Philippines and working for the country," she said. Nevertheless, Duterte said she is "at peace" about whatever happens to her. "I've already accepted that whatever happens to me, that will be God's purpose for my life," she said.
"So I am at peace staying and finishing my term, because that is my contract with the Filipino people, and I am at peace going if I will be removed from office," she added..
