Sara Duterte says her office 'will not break' amid the 'ongoing crisis' they're facing
Vice President Sara Duterte stressed that she and her office "will not break" amid the "ongoing crisis" they are facing against her 2022 election running mate, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.
In a video published on her official Facebook page, Duterte addressed the current issues surrounding the Office of the Vice President (OVP), which is currently being investigated for its alleged misuse of funds for its programs. The VP has also been a hot topic for her attacks against Marcos, including an "active threat" to his life.
"The Office of the Vice President would like to express our deepest gratitude to all the lawyers, doctors and other professionals who are helping the personnel affected by the ongoing crisis in the office," she began.
She stated that "legal documents are now with the lawyers, and the patients are under the expert care of healthcare personnel."
With this, she assured her supporters that they will now be able to focus on the OVP thanksgiving, year-end activities, office utilization review, and the calendar year 2025 planning.
"We assure the Filipino people that even in times of crisis and without resources, we shall stand tall, strong, and resilient in our service to the Filipino people. We will not break," Duterte emphasized.
Issues surrounding the OVP
Duterte has been in hot water since August following the alleged misuse of funds for her office's socioeconomic programs and her refusal to answer questions regarding her office's expenses, particularly the confidential funds worth P775 million for the OVP and DepEd during her budget proposal's first hearing.
She was seeking a P2.037-billion budget for 2025, which was cut to P733 million. Her office has a P1.885-billion budget for 2024.
Things escalated when her chief of staff, Zuleika Lopez, got detained due to being cited in contempt by the House of Representatives. This eventually led her to conduct a midnight Zoom press conference on Nov. 23 where she blatantly said she would have Marcos assassinated if she were killed.
"May kinausap na ako na tao. Sinabi ko sa kanya, 'Pag pinatay ako, patayin mo si BBM, si Liza Araneta, at si Martin Romualdez. No joke. No joke,'" she revealed.
"Nagbilin na ako, Ma’am. 'Pag namatay ako, 'wag ka tumigil hanggang hindi mo mapapatay sila.' And then he said yes," she added.
The following day, Malacañang said they are "acting on the Vice President’s clear and unequivocal statement that she had contracted an assassin to kill the President if an alleged plot against her succeeds."
"The Executive Secretary [Cesar Chavez] has referred this active threat to the Presidential Security Command for immediate proper action," they stated.
They stressed that "any threat to the life of the President must always be taken seriously, more so that this threat has been publicly revealed in clear and certain terms."
Duterte, however, said in a statement on Tuesday, Nov. 26 that the “insistence” of the current administration that Marcos' life is "under active threat" is "ominous," calling the narrative "farce" and "imagined."
"There is absolutely no flesh on the bone, and despite the absence of a reliable investigation, authorities were quick to consider this a national security concern,” she noted.
According to her, common sense “should be enough for us to understand and accept that a supposed conditional act of revenge does not constitute to an active threat.”
Later in the day, the National Bureau of Investigation served a subpoena to Duterte, compelling her to shed light on the investigation into threats she made against the President. It was received by her office staff in Mandaluyong. She, however, was a no-show at the inquiry scheduled last Friday, Nov. 29.
Duterte is also facing several complaints from the Philippine National Police (PNP), including direct assault, disobedience, and grave coercion, following a confrontation with the police last weekend.
