VICE President Sara Duterte yesterday said she and President Marcos Jr. have now reached the “point of no return.”
“Gusto nila talaga akong tanggalin sa posisyon (They really want to remove me from my position),” Duterte told a press conference in Zamboanga City.
She also claimed that Speaker Martin Romualdez wants to be the vice president “even if lawmakers do not want him to be the VP,” adding that the Speaker also does not know that the people do not want him to eventually become the president.
Under the 1987 Constitution, the President can nominate a member of Congress to assume the vice presidency in the event the position becomes vacant due to impeachment, death or resignation.
The Vice President told reporters that she has requested the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to reschedule her attendance at its headquarters because she wants to attend the continuation of the hearing of the House Committee on Good Government on Friday on her alleged misuse of public funds.
“I requested to re-sched the invitation dahil nag-conflict sa schedule namin sa hearing ng (because it has a conflict with the hearing of the) House of Representative sa Committee on Good Government,” Duterte said, adding that her subordinates have been pleading for her to accompany them during the hearing.
Likewise, the Vice President said the NBI’s subpoena mentioned grave assault and possible violations of the Anti-Terrorism Act against her, complaints, which she said, “do not hold water, on face value.”
She accused the government of weaponizing the Anti-Terrorism Act, a law passed during her father’s administration, against her so it could go after her properties and assets, citing the case of expelled Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves, Jr. who is wanted for the 2023 murder of Negros Oriental governor Roel Degamo.
“Ano ba ‘yung gusto nilang gawin kaya sila nag-cha-charge ng Anti-Terror Law? Gusto nila mag-cancel ng passport, gusto nila mag-red notice sa international (police) so hindi ka makakagalaw overseas. Gusto nila mag-AMLA, Anti-Money Laundering Act (What do they want when they charge under the Anti-Terror Law? They want the passport cancelled [and] they want a red notice so you can’t move overseas. They want to use the Anti-Money Laundering Act),” she said.
CHARGE POLICE
Duterte vowed to file complaints of disobedience, robbery, and kidnapping against the PNP in connection with the commotion caused by the transfer of her chief of staff, lawyer Zuleika Lopez, from her detention at the Batasang Pambansa to the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) on early Saturday morning.
“Nakakahiya sa buong mundo na ang Philippine National Police natin, who by the way has intelligence funds, hindi alam ang pangyayari sa ating bansa. Nakakahiya na meron tayong pulis na hindi nila alam ang threats sa Vice President (It’s a shame to the whole world that the Philippine National Police, which by the way has intelligence funds, does not know what is happening in our country. It’s a shame that we have police who don’t know the threats against the Vice President),” she said.
Former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV said the time is ripe to impeach Duterte to remove her from office even if the House leadership has denied it wants her ousted.
“Kailangan matanggal na to sa pwesto (She has to be removed from her post,” he told reporters at the House where he attended the quad committee’s hearing on the extrajudicial killings (EJKs) under the former President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs.
“May topak e. Alam naman natin, hindi naman tayo psychiatrist, pero alam natin yung may topak at yung normal (She’s crazy, We all know, I may not be a psychiatrist, but we all know what’s crazy from normal),” he said.
“Hinog na hinog na, sobra. Siguro naman, nakikita naman ng mga kababayan natin, lahat no’ng mga dangers, mga red flags, ‘yong unfitness ni Sara Duterte to hold the position of vice president. And remember, as vice president, she could be president anytime, in cases of emergencies (The time is really ripe. Our fellow Filipinos can see all the dangers, the red flags, and the unfitness of Sara Duterte to hold the position of vice president),” he also said.
Trillanes added: ‘Kaya, imagine mo ‘yong asal na nilalabas niya, pinapakita niya, bibigyan mo ng power ng presidency ‘yan? Dapat kikilabutan ‘yong bawat Pilipino. Wala ito sa tamang katinuan, (So just imagine, the way she’s been acting, what she’s showing, are you going to give the powers of the presidency to someone like that? The people should fear that. She’s not in the right mind).”
