Malacañang on Wednesday maintained that Vice President Sara Duterte’s alleged plot to have President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. assassinated should be treated as a national security concern and not merely as a case of grave threats.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro made the statement after Duterte’s defense team argued before the Senate impeachment court that the Vice President’s remarks during a November 2024 online press briefing were not direct threats and were made only in response to questions.
Duterte said during the livestream that she had spoken with a person and instructed that Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and then-House Speaker Martin Romualdez be killed should she herself be killed.
Castro rejected the defense’s position, saying the matter involves the country’s chief executive.
“Hindi ito simpleng grave threats na maaaring isampa diyan sa korte. Hindi involved dito ang simpleng tao. Ang pinag-uusapan po natin dito ay Pangulo. Ito ay isyu about national security,” Castro said.
She also questioned the argument that Duterte’s statements were not directed at Marcos because they were made during a livestream.
Castro said the remarks were publicly broadcast and widely viewed, making it unlikely that the individuals mentioned would not have known about them.
She also criticized the defense’s claim that the statements did not constitute an assassination plot.
“Dapat ang katotohanan ang lumabas dito, ang katotohanan para sa taumbayan. Huwag natin palabuin ang kuwento para lang magligtas ng sinuman. Katotohanan ang nais ng mga kababayan natin dito,” she said.
Castro said Duterte has not denied making the statements, with her lawyers instead providing explanations for why she made the remarks, including allegations involving her former chief of staff Zuleika Lopez and claims of threats against her.
The Palace official said Duterte’s alleged conversation with a person willing to carry out the killing indicated an agreement between the parties involved.
“Since it was the Vice President who admitted in this video that she had already talked to a person who was willing to kill the President, the First Lady, and the House Speaker. Ano pa ba ang dapat na patunayan?” Castro said.
Castro also compared Duterte’s case with that of a public school teacher who was previously arrested for allegedly offering money to anyone willing to kill former president Rodrigo Duterte.
She said the two cases differed because the Vice President allegedly claimed to have already spoken with a person who agreed to commit the act.
“So, kung hindi ito assassination plot at walang pagbabanta sa buhay, ano ang ginawa ng Bise Presidente? May iba pa ba siyang meaning sa mga sinabi niyang iyon?” Castro said.
“In the first place, wala siyang dineny na ito ay kaniyang sinabi, dyina-justify na lamang nila kung bakit nila ito sinabi,” she added, referring to Duterte’s defense panel.
Photo grab from Brigada News FM Manila
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