Vice President Sara Duterte is still in denial about the issue that she instructed someone to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Marcos, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
In a press briefing on Friday, the Vice President was asked if she regretted her controversial remark, in which she allegedly threatened President Marcos' life.
"I did not make an assassination threat to the president. Sila lang nagsasabi nyan. Sila lang nagsasabi na may assassin, may gunman. I did not say that," Duterte pointed out.
It should be noted that the alleged assassination threat was included in the Articles of Impeachment filed by the House of Representatives earlier this week.
On November 23, 2024, Duterte claimed to be a victim of an assassination plot amid House Quad Committee inquiries to the staffs of the Office of the Vice President, which led to their contempt citation.
In the said forum, which was conducted via Zoom, Duterte said she had told a person to kill Marcos, the First Lady, and Romualdez if she were assassinated first.
"Wag kang mag alala, Ma’am,’ sa security ko kasi may kinausap na ako na tao. Sinabi ko sa kanya [na] kapag pinatay ako, patayin mo si BBM, si Liza Araneta at si Martin Romualdez," she told reporters.
"No joke, no joke. Nagbilin na ako. Pag namatay ako — sabi ko, ‘Huwag kang tumigil ha? Hanggang hindi mo mapatay sila and he said ‘yes,’" she recalled.
In addition, Duterte referred to herself as the "designated survivor" when she confirmed that she would not be attending Marcos' third State of the Nation Address on July 22.
The term "designated survivor" refers to a U.S. government official chosen to remain at a secure location during events where top leaders are gathered.
This measure is intended to ensure continuity of government in the event that a catastrophic event incapacitates or kills the president, vice president, and other high-ranking officials.
She later clarified that her comment was "neither a joke nor a bomb threat," but she declined to explain further what she meant.
Meanwhile, Marcos said that he would defend against this attempt, stressing the importance of upholding the 'rule of law.'
