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Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Tuesday said he has directed the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to thoroughly investigate the viral video of Vice President Sara Duterte admitting that she has arranged an assassination plot against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
The DoJ is set to issue a subpoena for VP Duterte, which, according to NBI Director Jaime Santiago, will be served immediately.
Remulla also tasked the NBI with hunting down the supposed assassins contracted by the Vice President to hold them accountable.
These matters were emphasized during a press briefing in Malacañang yesterday, attended by Undersecretary Jesse Hermogenes T. Andres, Prosecutor General Richard Anthony D. Fadullon, and NBI Director Jaime Santiago, where the government promised accountability for VP Sara’s actions, even though she holds the second-highest position.
It can be recalled that during a press conference held on 18 October 2024, the Vice President had already made alarming remarks against President Marcos, insinuating that she would “chop off his head.”
Andres explained that her statement could initially be taken as a mere metaphor or an expression of anger.
However, connecting that to her most recent admission that she has contracted an assassin to kill the President lends significant weight to the idea that there is truth behind those words, which is not something to be taken lightly.
“She is the beneficiary of the death of the President, so her words must be taken in the proper context,” Usec Andres stressed.
“This is a serious threat and a very bad precedent for our country if we do not take legal action on these kinds of threats coming from a very high-ranking official. We have to maintain order in a civilized society by adherence to the rule of law, and we will apply the full force of the law,” he added.
Andres also said that law enforcement agents are being tapped to investigate and identify the person(s) who may be plotting against the President. “We will use all government resources to find out the identity of the assassin,” he added.
Social media platforms have agreed to preserve a copy of the VP’s Facebook live video, where she said her plan against the President is not a joke.
In the name of justice and fair play, like any other case it handles, the DoJ also assured that the Vice President would be accorded ‘due process’ during the investigation.
“Our mandate is to make sure that due process is observed in all instances. Subpoenas shall be issued, and she will be given an opportunity to present her side,” PG Fadullon said.