UNLIKE her father, Vice President Sara Duterte is known to be frank, candid, and a person of her word, which is often terse. When she says something, you can bet your last peso that she means it. Her unflinching character had been tested before when she was mayor and/or vice mayor of Davao City. She has no qualms about physically engaging with a sheriff on issues such as demolition of homes of poor residents in the city.
Remember the slapping incident in Davao?
Sara’s recent outburst, which she said at a press conference in the wee hours of the morning on Saturday, is shocking and easily condemnable to many. The VP said that should she die, presumably in the hands of her current political enemies, the Marcos and Romualdez clan, she had already made arrangements for somebody to assassinate President Bongbong Marcos (PBBM), the First Lady Louise Araneta Marcos, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.
`It is both sad and pathetic that the “UniTeam” that the majority of Filipinos elected and praised as a model of cohesion and cooperation… has disintegrated this fast into one of hate, discord, and even death threats.’
The bold statement clearly came from a woman who has had enough of the perceived harassment by congressmen, targeting her and her staff, during congressional hearings. It has created a deep and searing chilling effect on the nation—coming as it did from the Vice President, and more so because the life threatened is that of the sitting President of the Republic.
A parallel example can be drawn from an airline passenger undergoing routine inspection at the airport, and cracking a joke about his possession of a bomb. This particular case merits arrest and detention for the joker under the law.
Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin has quickly referred the matter to the Presidential Security Command “for immediate proper action” because Malacañang Palace considers it as “an active threat.” Bersamin said he acted because of the VP’s “clear and unequivocal statement that she had contracted an assassin to kill the President if an alleged plot against her succeeds.”
“Any threat to the life of the President must always be taken seriously, more so that this threat has been publicly revealed in clear and certain terms,” Bersamin added.
Vice President Sara’s screaming vitriol against the First Couple and the Speaker may be understood in the light of the perceived persecution by Speaker Romualdez’ minions in the House quad committee investigating the finances of both the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education which she used to head.
Sara was particularly peeved that her chief of staff, Zuleika Lopez who was already detained at the House, would still be transferred to the Women’s Correctional facility which houses female convicts, all for displeasing the congressmen with the way she answered their questions at the public hearing. In a show of solidarity, Sara joined Lopez in the House for the night, staying at her congressman-brother’s room, during which electricity was reportedly turned off in that wing of the building. What Vice President would not lose her/his cool under these circumstances?
It is both sad and pathetic that the “UniTeam” that the majority of Filipinos elected and praised as a model of cohesion and cooperation, a team that promised unity for the common good and economic progress for the country has disintegrated this fast into one of hate, discord, and even death threats.
Both Bongbong and Sara, the country’s top leaders, should be ashamed of this.
