Año: All threats to President's life a matter of national security

The National Security Council said it considers all threats to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. a matter of national security after Vice President Sara Duterte said she will have the President and his family "assassinated" if she is killed.

In a statement on Sunday, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said the NSC “considers all threats to the President of the Philippines as serious.”

“Any and all threats against the life of the President shall be validated and considered a matter of national security,” the NSC official said.

This after Duterte on Saturday said she would have Marcos, Speaker Martin Romualdez, and First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos assassinated if she were killed.

Año said the NSC is “closely coordinating with law enforcement and intelligence agencies to investigate the nature of the threat, the possible perpetrators, and their motives. We shall do our utmost in defense of our democratic institutions and processes which the President represents.”

In the statement, the National Security Adviser urged the public “to remain calm and confident in the knowledge that the security sector will ensure the President's safety and will always uphold at all times the constitution, our democratic institutions, and the chain of command.”

“We underscore that the safety of the President is a non-partisan issue, and we stand united in our commitment to upholding the integrity of the office and the democratic institutions that govern our great nation,” he added.

Duterte, in return, said she will answer all the comments regarding her kill remark in a proper forum.

“Medyo pagod ako ngayon [I'm a little tired today]. But in a proper time, I can answer everything. Tsaka nagmamadali rin talaga ako [I’m also in a hurry],” the Vice President said in an ambush interview at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC).

Duterte was at the VMMC in Quezon City to accompany the Office of the Vice President (OVP) chief of staff and undersecretary Zuleika Lopez who earlier fell ill amid the House of Representatives' order to transfer her to the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong City.

On Sunday morning, Duterte said Lopez “allowed” her to leave the VMMC to visit her children for the meantime. The Vice President is expected to return to the hospital at night.

The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) on Saturday said the Vice President’s statement has been referred to the Presidential Security Command (PSC) for immediate proper action.

The PSC also said it has implemented tighter security measures in the wake of Duterte’s remark, which it considers a "matter of national security."

Duterte's ''assassination'' statement was made during a virtual press conference early Saturday morning, where she slammed the House of Representatives' order to transfer Atty. Zuleika Lopez, her chief of staff, from the House detention facility to the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City.

Later, Duterte clarified that her statement to have Marcos and members of his family assassinated if something bad happened to her was not a threat.—RF, GMA Integrated News