Sara's threat to have Marcos, Romualdez assassinated referred to PSC

The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) on Saturday said that threats made by Vice President Sara Duterte against President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has been referred to the Presidential Security Command for immediate proper action.

"Acting on the Vice President’s clear and unequivocal statement that she had contracted an assassin to kill the President if an alleged plot against her succeeds, the Executive Secretary has referred this active threat to the Presidential Security Command for immediate proper action," the Palace said in a statement.

"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," it added.

This comes after Duterte claimed earlier in contracting an assassin should anything bad happen to her.

'Wag kang mag-alala sa security ko kasi may kinausap na ako na tao. Sinabi ko sa kanya, 'pag pinatay ako, patayin mo si BBM, si Liza Araneta, at si Martin Romualdez," Duterte said during a presser.

“Nagbilin na ako, Ma’am. ‘Pag namatay ako, wag ka tumigil hanggang hindi mo mapapatay sila. And then he said yes,” the Vice President after being asked during the media briefing.

The presser was held after the Office of the Vice President (OVP) chief of staff, Zuleika Lopez. was transferred to St. Lukes from the House of Representatives' detention facility. 

Duterte, however, claimed that the transfer was an “attempted homicide.”

Lopez was ordered detained at the lower chamber after she was cited in contempt for her supposed "undue interference" in the panel’s investigation into the confidential funds of offices held by Duterte.

The detention is until Nov. 25, the date of the committee's next hearing on the disbursement of confidential funds by the OVP and the Department of Education under Duterte.

Duterte has blamed Marcos and his cousin, House Speaker Martin Romualdez for Lopez's ordeal. 

“All because we are in this f**** farce… All because gusto ni Martin mag president,” the Vice President said, refering to the House Speaker Romualdez. 

The Vice President also described the ongoing probe as a “waste of time.”

“Hindi siya ma-control ng Presidente natin na hindi marunong magdesisyon. Walang desisyon making skills at all, zero,” Duterte said.

“We are wasting time as a country on what we need to do… Fishing for evidence so that we can demolish a family that is a threat to our personal gain,” she added.

The Vice President further said that the government should rather be “working on being competitive, jumping to middle income, aspiring to be a first world economy.”

“We made a mistake with that f**** Marcos… and we are wasting time,” Duterte said.

Marcos was Duterte's running mate in the 2022 polls. The two, however, had a fall out earlier this year.

READ: Uniteam no more: Timeline of Marcos-Duterte tandem's woes

Meanwhile, House Assistant Majority Leader and Lanao del Sur Representative Zia Alonto Adiong called for heightened security measures to protect the President, the First Lady, and the Speaker.

Ang Pangulo at ang Speaker ay mahalagang haligi ng ating demokrasya. Anumang banta laban sa kanila ay banta rin sa seguridad ng ating bansa. It is imperative that we ensure their safety at all costs,” Adiong said.

He also called the Vice President’s tirades as “reckless and destabilizing.” 

“This rhetoric is deeply irresponsible and deeply troubling. We do not want these kinds of threats to be directed against anyone, not to the sitting President, the Speaker or even to the Vice President herself," said Adiong.

"We must take these threats seriously and provide heightened security for the President, the First Lady, and the Speaker,” the lawmaker said.

—VAL, GMA Integrated News