VP Duterte denies kill threat vs President Marcos, kin

VICE-PRESIDENT (VP) Sara Z. Duterte-Carpio “vehemently denies” the threats she made against President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., her lawyers said in a letter to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) after she skipped Wednesday’s probe.

“Our client vehemently denies having made any threat constituting Grave Threats under Art. 282 of the Revised Penal Code in relation to Sec. 6, RA (Republic Act) 10175, terrorism or any other punishable act under RA No. 11479, or any other crime,” read the two-page letter submitted by her lawyers to NBI Director Jaime B. Santiago.

The letter also said Ms. Duterte’s “prudence in her cooperation…, and her desistance” from appearing in the investigation comes as she sees Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla as the “President’s alter-ego” and Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin as the “President’s chief alter-ego.”

Mr. Santiago said the letter was not a counter-affidavit and was not sworn under oath, noting they will proceed with their investigation with what they have.

Ms. Duterte, the running mate of the President in the 2022 national elections, made the kill threats via online conferencing last month, saying she hired assassins to kill the first couple and his cousin, House Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, if she gets killed herself.

The country’s second highest official made the remarks after the House Committee on Good Government ordered the transfer of her chief of staff, Zuleika T. Lopez, to the Women’s Correctional Facility in Mandaluyong City from the lower chamber’s detention facility.

Congressional questions into her confidential funds at the Office of the Vice-President and the Department of Education began last year.

President Marcos had said earlier that he will not stand idly, vowing to “fight back” after the Vice-President’s threat. Ms. Duterte’s tirades has also triggered a response from the National Security Council, which considered her remarks a “matter of national security.”

In a separate press briefing on Wednesday, Ms. Duterte called the investigation unfair as the NBI filed cases against her even before they started their probe.

“It’s better that they know that if I die, I will not die in vain,” she said in mixed English and Filipino. “I’m at peace with whatever happens to me.”

She said she does not plan on leaving the country or hiding if an arrest warrant is released against her.

The NBI initially summoned Ms. Duterte to appear before investigators on Nov. 29, but she requested a rescheduling to attend a House Committee hearing, which was ultimately canceled.

The bureau then re-set the hearing to Wednesday, Dec. 11, during which the letter was submitted in lieu of Ms. Duterte’s attendance.

The Vice-President skipped the investigation as she opted to attend a thanksgiving lunch for reporters covering her office and another meeting at her headquarters in Mandaluyong City.

The Department of Justice previously said that it would employ the full force of the law to investigate the Vice-President’s statements, which the administration classified as a “national security issue.”

She is also facing two impeachment cases filed at the House of Representatives for allegations of graft and corruption, bribery, and betrayal of public trust among other crimes. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana