Marcos says Duterte's statements ''alarming''
President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. fought back against Vice President Sara Dutere after she declared that she had ordered an assassin to kill him if she would be assassinated along with First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
In a video message on Monday, Marcos said that Duterte’s statements were “alarming”.
“If planning to kill a president is that easy, what more for ordinary citizens? Such criminal threats should not be ignored. I will not stand for that,” Marcos said.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) will issue a subpoena against Duterte within five days, Justice Undersecretary Jesse Andres said.
“The premeditated plot to assassinate the President as declared by the self-confessed mastermind will now face legal consequences. And we are tapping our law enforcement agents to investigate the whereabouts and the identity of this person or persons who may be plotting against the President,” Andres said in a Palace briefing.
Marcos said that Duterte should have just answered the questions of lawmakers in House and Senate inquiries about her use of confidential funds when she also headed the Department of Education (DepEd).
“Instead of straightforward answers, the matter is being diverted with irrelevant stories. I hope this situation can be concluded peacefully, in a way that leads us to the truth,” Marcos said.
Duterte attended the hearing of the House Committee on Good Government as her chief of staff Zuleika Lopez remains confined at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center since Saturday,
In a separate statement, Romualdez also condemned the supposed threats against his life and the First Couple.
“Let me be clear, this is not a joke. This is not a normal way of speaking. This is a direct threat to our democracy, our government, and the security of our country,” he said.
““An immediate investigation is necessary, and the law provides a way for the NBI to issue a subpoena to summon the Vice President to shed light on her remarks,” he added.
“We can say that out of courtesy, and due process, we did not immediately arrest the Vice President because she is a Vice President. So we are giving her a chance…to answer the accusations against her. This is by way of subpoena, and we will ask her to appear before our office within five days from today,” NBI head Jaime Santiago said.
Duterte earlier claimed that she had experienced a death threat, but the NBI denied this,
“On the part, we have not received any information regarding the threat on the life of the Vice President,” Santiago said. Jaspearl Tan/DMS
