Sara Duterte: No regrets over assassination remarks vs. Bongbong Marcos
Vice President Sara Duterte stated that she is not apologetic over her controversial remark that she would have President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. assassinated if she were killed.
In a press conference, Duterte was questioned whether she regrets disclosing that she had contracted an assassin to kill her former running mate if an alleged plot against her succeeded. The threat also extended to First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
"No, buti na 'yung alam nila na 'pag namatay ako, I will not die in vain," she simply said.
Duterte also addressed the supposed threats to her life, which she said some of her critics dismissed as only "imaginary." The VP said she has enough evidence to prove this.
"We have documents, we have screencaps, we have photos, we have police blotters, we have everything on file. But I haven't talked about it before because I felt na it was part of my job as vice president. And it does not affect my work," she explained.
She continued, "So all the more that it was inconsequential to me at the time, but right now, seeing that they are picking out words that I said and making a case out of it and saying that these are threats—I think they should start with 'Where is this coming from?' That is the question they should ask themselves, but I don't think they'll ever ask that."
The VP skipped the National Bureau of Investigation's probe anew on Dec. 11.
During her press conference, she said she does not expect fairness in the agency's investigation.
"Kung nakita niyo naman 'yung mensahe ng Pangulo na sabi niya... in gist, ganitong kriminal na gawain ay hindi ko palalampasin. So makita na natin sa pronouncements of the president, meron nang bias doon,' she stated.
Duterte previously slammed the National Security Council after it said "all threats" against Marcos were to be considered "a matter of national security," saying that her pronouncements were "maliciously" taken out of context.
Her assassination remark is just one of the several issues Duterte and her office are facing as of late.
She has been in hot water for months for the alleged misuse of funds for her offices' programs and her refusal to answer questions regarding her offices' 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.
The probe on her office reached a boiling point when her chief of staff, Zuleika Lopez, was detained due to being cited in contempt by the House of Representatives.
As a result of these issues, Duterte is now facing several legal woes, including two impeachment raps as well as complaints of direct assault, disobedience, and grave coercion filed by the Philippine National Police.
Despite these hurdles, Duterte assured the public that she and her office "will not break" amid the "ongoing crisis" they are facing.
"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," she stated.
