But says her remarks may have already violated anti-terror law
There is no move yet to designate Vice President Sara Duterte as a terrorist even as she was subpoenaed by the National Bureau of Investigation for possible violations of the Anti-Terrorism Act, an official of the Department of Justice said.
“She is not being designated as a terrorist,” Justice Undersecretary Jesse Andres said in an interview with dzBB.
“There is no such thing being done to the Vice President now. She should not preempt the government,” he added.
Andres said Duterte is being held accountable for the threatening statements she issued against President Ferdinand Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and Speaker Martin Romualdez.
“The threat was not just in the mind because she already started to act on it…She herself said that she had spoken to someone, identified the targets—three names—with clear instructions on what to do,” Andres said.
Duterte earlier said she contacted someone to kill the First Couple and the Speaker should something happen to her.
He said Duterte’s kill threat also has political implications.
“We have to understand that in the proper context. The Vice President is the beneficiary if ever the President’s office is vacated by death or incapacity,” he said.
Duterte claimed the NBI probe on possible ATA violations was meant to access her assets and properties.
“I find the violation of the anti-terrorism law funny since they’re trying to access my properties and assets,” she said.
Duterte said she and Mr. Marcos have already reached the “point of no return.”
“If I get impeached, then that’s my end,” she said.
As this developed, House Assistant Majority Leader and Taguig Rep. Amparo Maria Zamora on Thursday called on the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability to postpone its November 29 hearing to give Duterte time to respond to the NBI subpoena.
“These are serious allegations that demand Vice President Duterte’s full attention and cooperation,” Zamora said.
“The House Blue Ribbon Committee’s hearing can be rescheduled to allow the Vice President to focus on the NBI inquiry without distraction.”
Duterte earlier committed to attending the House hearing, which is investigating her alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds allocated to the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) during her tenure as education secretary.
However, Zamora argued that the NBI investigation takes precedence due to its significant implications for public trust and national governance.
For its part, the Philippine National Police said it is ready to face potential charges from Duterte over a recent altercation during the transfer of her chief of staff, Zuleika Lopez, to the Veterans Memorial Medical Center.
“That is always the right of anybody to file a case against the police, especially if they feel that they were aggrieved. We welcome that and we will wait for the case to be filed before we make a statement,” PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) chief Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III said.
Duterte earlier said she plans to file charges, including disobedience, kidnapping, and robbery, against the PNP.
A police doctor, Lt. Col. Van Jason Villamor, earlier filee a complaint against the Vice President, the head of her security detail and several others for direct assault, disobedience and grave coercion.
Maj. Jackson Cases from the House of Representatives and Capt. Roque Garcia and Staff Sgt. Agapito Arroyo from the QCPD were named by Villamor as his witnesses.
