Metro Manila, Philippines – The controversial remarks of Vice President Sara Duterte, including her threat to kill President Bongbong Marcos and pronouncement as a designated survivor, took center stage at the second day of deliberations of the House justice committee of the third ouster suit against the second highest official.
The panel resumed deliberations on Tuesday, March 3, as lawmakers discussed the sufficiency in substance of a complaint against Duterte filed by a group of clergy and lawyers.
Mamamayang Liberal Rep. Leila de Lima, endorser of the ouster suit, said the apparent threat against Marcos and his family members was one of the strongest grounds in impeaching the vice president.
Petitioners said in their complaint that the remarks are considered culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust, and constitute high crimes.
A video of Duterte making the statement that she hired an assassin to kill Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez – if she herself gets murdered – was played during the hearing.
The vice president made these remarks in a midnight press briefing in November 2024, after the House committee on good government and public accountability ordered the detention of Duterte’s chief of staff, Zuleika Lopez.
“Kung totoo ang alegasyon ng sabuwatan upang patayin ang mga pinakamataas na opisyal ng bansa, ito ay magdudulot ng kaguluhan sa constitutional succession, panganib sa pambansang seguridad at kawalan ng katatagan sa pamahalaan,” De Lima said.
[Translation: If the allegation of a conspiracy to assassinate the highest officials of the country is true, it would cause chaos in the constitutional succession, pose a threat to national security, and result in instability in the government.]
Negros Oriental Rep. Janice Degamo pointed out that conditional threats may turn into “actual harm,” citing the case of her husband, former Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo, who was murdered in March 2023.
Manila Rep. Benny Abante, endorser of the fourth complaint, also described the remarks as a “red flag for national stability and constitutional order,” in response to the manifestation of a colleague seemingly defending the vice president.
Quezon City Rep. Bong Suntay compared Duterte’s statement to the remarks of her wife threatening to kill her, but never did.
“The vice president is not a private citizen. The wife of Congressman Suntay is a private citizen,” Abante said in his rebuttal.
Debate turns into lewd remarks
Lawmakers also extensively discussed the other controversial statements of the vice president, which complainants said not only violated the Constitution but also committed acts of destabilization and sedition.
One of which was Duterte’s pronouncement in 2024 that she was the designated survivor – a system in the United States where an appointed individual will assume the presidency should the chief executive and all his Cabinet members die. This process does not exist in the Philippines.
READ: A ‘designated survivor’ for the Philippines
Lawmakers also brought up Duterte’s remarks in a media briefing expressing desire to decapitate the president.
Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, a Mindanao lawmaker, called these as “desires” but not “threats.”
Suntay later agreed with Rodriguez’s manifestations and defended the vice president’s pronouncement as designated survivor.
However, the Quezon City lawmaker made a sexual reference in raising his point, which caught the ire of fellow lawmakers.
“Sinabi niya lang iyon, nagpapatawa lang siya. Lastly, alam mo minsan nasa ShangRi-la ako, nakita ko si Anne Curtis, ang ganda ganda pala niya. May desire sa loob ko na nag-init talaga at na-imagine ko na lang ang pwedeng mangyari. Siyempre, hanggang imagination ko na lang ‘yun. Siyempre hindi ako pwedeng kasuhan dahil kung ano-ano ang na-imagine ko,” he told the panel.
[Translation: Lastly, you know, one time I was at Shangri-La and I saw Anne Curtis. She’s really very beautiful in person. I felt this desire inside me that really heated up, and I just imagined what could possibly happen. Of course, it stayed only in my imagination. Of course, I can’t be sued just because of whatever I imagined.]
The committee voted to strike Suntay’s manifestations from the records.
In a press briefing, San Juan Rep. Bel Zamora, justice committee vice chairperson, described the remarks offensive and uncalled for, especially in light of the international celebration of Women’s Month.
Committee jurisdiction
The issue of the committee jurisdiction on the allegations made against Duterte as former education chief was also raised.
Rodriguez said such actions of the vice president do not fall under the jurisdiction of the committee, as secretaries are not impeachable officials.
Marcos appointed the vice president as education chief in 2022 – a post Duterte left mid-2024 as she cut ties with the administration.
Abante referenced an analogy in countering the claims.
“For example, ito yung vice president, ito yung Secretary of Education, ito yung perang binigay ng Secretary of Education na kasama ng kamay ng vice president. Ang tanong ko ito, sino ba nag-iisip? Isa lang ang utak e,” he said.
[Translation: For example, this is the vice president, this is the Secretary of Education, this is the money given by the Secretary of Education that was in the hands of the vice president. My question is this: who is really doing the thinking? There’s only one brain behind it.]
Other grounds were also discussed including allegations of fund misuse and bribery. At one point in the hearing, videos of former education officials admitting that they received envelopes of cash from the vice president were shown.
Deferring vote
After lengthy deliberations, Batangas Rep. Jinky Luistro, justice committee chairperson, deferred the vote on the sufficiency of substance of the third complaint until after the discussion of the fourth ouster suit on Wednesday, March 4.
In a press briefing, Luistro said she may encourage members to adopt the discussions on Tuesday, as the complaints to be discussed next bear almost the same allegations.
The sufficiency of substance is a crucial step in moving to a proper hearing where lawmakers will determine whether there is a probable cause to oust Duterte.
Should the complaints move to the next stage, Luistro said the proper hearing may commence after the Holy Week.
She earlier said the committee may conduct proceedings even during the House lenten break.
