NO CRIMINAL charge could be made against Vice President Sara Duterte in relation to her kill remark against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (BBM), his wife First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez “because it is conditional.”
This was stressed by Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile said on Thursday, February 13, 2024, but he admitted that Duterte’s statement has serious underlying implications, which may be taken advantage of by “evil and vicious third parties.”
“If an attempt against Sara's life should happen, but did not succeed, BBM, Liza, and Martin would be the immediate and direct suspects, even though they are innocent, which would further widen the political disruption between the two sides,” said Enrile.
“On the other hand, evil and vicious third parties could merrily take advantage of the situation and weaken, if not destroy, the two sides of the political divide. Even some ambitious members of each political group could take advantage of it to strengthen and promote their personal interest, whatever that is,” he added.
Enrile humbly suggested to both parties to be more careful.
At the height of the House panel investigation on the alleged irregularities in the use of public funds by the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education, which Duterte led from 2022 to 2024, and the detention of her chief of staff for intervening in the probe, the Vice President, during an online press conference, threw expletives against the first couple and Romualdez and even said that she had already asked someone to kill them if she herself is killed first.
The National Security Council (NSC) earlier said that they are considering the Vice President’s threats against the three other high-ranking government officials as a “matter of national security.”
Duterte said her statement was “maliciously taken out of logical context.”
On February 12, the National Bureau of Investigation filed cases for inciting to sedition and grave threat against Duterte over her remarks. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)