Uses ‘tokhang’ in answering Sara’s threats
PRESIDENT Marcos Jr. yesterday broke his silence on what he said were troubling and reckless threats made against him, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and Speaker Martin Romualdez by Vice President Sara Duterte, vowing to uphold the rule of law and saying he would not allow such criminal threats to pass.
The President, without naming Duterte, said in a strongly-worded video message that criminal attempts or plans should not be ignored. He said the past days saw him being cursed and threatened. If planning the assassination of a president is that easy, how much more for ordinary citizens, he added.
“Yang ganyang kriminal na pagtatangka ay hindi dapat pinapalampas. Yan ay aking papalagan. (That kind of criminal threat should not be overlooked. I will resist that.) As a democratic country, we need to uphold the rule of law,” he said.
The Vice President, on November 23, said she has hired a hitman to kill the President, the First Lady and the Speaker if she is assassinated. She said it was not a joke but later clarified that her remarks were not a threat but a hypothetical scenario.
“The statements we heard in the previous days were troubling,” Marcos said, “There is the reckless use of profanities and threats to kill some of us.”
Duterte, asked to react to the President’s remarks, said she had yet to hear the statements but would respond later.
Duterte’s threat came on the heels of an order of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability to transfer her chief of staff, Undersecretary Zuleika Lopez, from the House detention facility to the Women’s Correctional Facility in Mandaluyong City.
Lopez was cited in contempt last week for “undue interference” during the committee’s investigations on the alleged misuse of confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President (OVP).
The President, in the video, said the issue would not have been blown out of proportion if legitimate questions from members of the Senate and the House of Representatives were answered properly.
Marcos said it is not right to suppress the truth, using in his statement the term “tokhang” which is associated with extrajudicial killings under the war on drugs implemented by the administration of the Vice President’s father, Rodrigo Duterte.
“Ang katotohanan ay hindi dapat i-tokhang. Tapos na sana ang usapang ito kung tutuparin lamang ang sinumpaang panata na bilang lingkod bayan ay magsabi ng totoo, at hindi hahadlangan. (The truth is not to be trifled with. This issue would have already ended if public servants stayed true to their sworn oath of telling the truth instead of hindering it),” he said.
“Imbes na derechahang sagot, nililihis pa sa kwentong chicheria (Instead of giving a direct answer, it was diverted to irrelevant stories),” he also said.
“Chicheria” means snacks. Last week, the House panel raised suspicion the OVP used fake receipts to justify its spending as some of the receipts used the names of popular snacks and café diner in liquidation documents submitted by the OVP to the Commission on Audit, like “Mary Grace Piattos,” “Fernando Tempura,” “Carlos Miguel Oishi,” “Reymunda Jane Nova,” and “Chippy McDonald.”
The President said that as a former lawmaker himself, he is aware of the mandate of Congress and respects it. He said he and the rest of the Executive branch also respects the independence of Congress and as a separate branch of government.
He said agencies and members of the executive branch also undergo scrutiny and inquiry by Congress.
He also said he wants the issue to end in a peaceful manner that would lead to the truth.
RULE OF LAW
The President said amid the developments, he remains focused on governance.
Marcos said he would not compromise the rule of law, which he emphasized should be applied to everyone.
“Kailangan manaig ang batas sa anumang sitwasyon, sino man ang tamaan. Kaya hindi ko hahayaan magtagumpay ang hangarin ng iba na hatakin ang buong bansa sa burak ng pulitika (The law must prevail in whatever situation, and whoever will be affected. That’s why I will not allow the desire of some people to drag the country into a political mire),” he said.
“Igalang natin ang proseso. Tuparin natin ang batas. Alalahanin natin ang mandato na pinagkatiwala sa atin ng milyong-milyon na Pilipino. Magtrabaho po tayo sa ikauunlad ng Republika ng Pilipinas at para matamo ang Bagong Pilipinas (Let’s respect the process. Let’s obey the law. Let us remember the mandate entrusted to us by millions of Filipinos. Let’s work for the development of the Republic of the Philippines and to achieve the New Philippines),” he added.
SARA FIGHTING BACK
Duterte said she will also continue fighting back and even reminded the President that the people also retaliated against the government of his late father, Ferdinand Marcos Sr., when then-opposition leader former Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. was gunned down on Aug. 21, 1983, which eventually led to the 1896 “Edsa People Power Revolution.”
She said she would issue an answer to Marcos’ statements because “hindi pwedeng palalagpasin ko itong ginagawa nila sa akin (I cannot just let pass what they’re doing to me).”
In an online press conference on Sunday night, the Vice President said she was being turned into a “punching bag” of the administration to cover up the graft and corruption in the government. She did not present proof for her allegations.
She challenged government officials, including the Office of the President and Congress, to undergo drug tests and reminded the people of the President’s campaign promise to bring down the price of rice to P20 per kilo since the prices of commercial rice remains pegged between P40 to more than P60 per kilo.
At the House, Bukidnon Rep. Jonathan Keith Flores called for an immediate and thorough investigation into the identity and affiliation of the assassin commissioned by the Vice President to kill President, her wife Liza Marcos and the Speaker, who is a first cousin of the Chief Executive.
“The Vice President’s statement is deeply alarming and raises serious national security concerns,” he said. “We must ascertain who this ‘mystery assassin’ is. Is this individual part of the Vice President’s trusted security detail, a member of the notorious syndicate, or a hired gun? The fact that Vice President Duterte claims to have personally communicated with this person, who allegedly agreed to her directive, indicates a close and trusted relationship.”
DOUBLE SECURITY
The Presidential Security Command said it has doubled the security of the President and implemented stricter security measures around the Malacañang complex since Saturday.
Stricter security measures include more thorough search of vehicles and bags of persons going in and out of the Palace complex.
Maj. Nestor Endozo, PSC Civil Military Operations Officer, said the public would see an increase or doubling of security detail around the President in upcoming engagements and activities.
Asked if the President would use bullet proof vests or podiums in the future, Endozo said it has not been discussed.
CHAIN OF COMMAND
Armed Forces chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr told soldiers to follow the military’s chain of command and to remain “professional and competent” amid political developments.
“In the past days, we have seen a myriad of events that transpired in our country and this has shaken the political environment of our country,” Brawner said during the flag ceremonies at Camp Aguinaldo.
Brawner said soldiers should not allow themselves to be “shaken by this” and negatively affected by the developments.
“We have just to remind ourselves of the vow when we entered the service to defend the Constitution of the Philippines,” he said.
“That means that we have to follow the chain of command,” he added.
The President is on top of the chain of command, he being the military’s commander-in-chief.
Brawner said soldiers, when they entered the military profession, also vowed to be loyal to the country, to the Philippine flag, to the military organization, and to the Constitution.
“This also goes to say that we are loyal to the duly-constituted authorities whoever that may be. We are not loyal to a person but to the position,” he said.
“In that vow that we took, we pledged we will continue to uphold the Constitution. Let us think of that so we won’t be confused. Our mandate is very clear,” he added. – With Wendell Vigilia, Victor Reyes and Reuters
