Enrile amid Marcos-Sara row: Cool it down for the sake of country

"Cool it down for the sake of the country."

This was Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile's comment on the deepening row between President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte.

"I think the less we talk about that, the better. My God, we are one country, one people. We have to fight our political debates in a very straightforward  manner. Let us cool it down, cool it down for the sake of the country," Enrile said in an ambush interview when asked to comment on Marcos and Duterte's ongoing word war.

In a virtual press conference last week, Duterte said she would have President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and Speaker Martin Romualdez killed if she was assassinated.

"'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 the virtual press conference.

(I've already spoken to someone, so don't worry about my security. I told that person to kill BBM [Marcos' initials] Liza Araneta and Martin Romualdez if I were to be killed.)

"Nagbilin na ako, ma'am. ‘Pag namatay ako, wag ka tumigil hanggang hindi mo mapapatay sila. And then he said 'yes.'"

(Ma'am, I've already left a directive. Don't stop till you've killed them all if I die. And then he said, "Yes.")

Duterte later on clarified that her “assassination” statement was not a threat, saying she only highlighted the alleged threat to her security. She also said that her remark was "taken out of logical context."

Marcos, in response, vowed to fight back these criminal attempts.

"Kung ganun na lang kadali ang pagplano sa pagpatay ng isang Presidente, papaano pa kaya ang mga pangkaraniwan na mamamayan?" Marcos said in a video statement.
 
"Yang ganyang kriminal na pagtatangka ay hindi dapat pinapalampas. 'Yan ay aking papalagan," Marcos added.

Duterte's incendiary remarks over the weekend came amid a House panel investigation into the alleged questionable budget use of the OVP and DepEd when it was under her leadership.

Earlier in the day, the National Bureau of Investigation served the subpoena to Duterte following her remark.

NBI Director Jaime Santiago earlier said they want to subpoena Duterte so that she could formally explain her remarks made during the wee hours of Saturday that were considered by authorities as a threat to the President and a matter of national security.

Santiago also said that the NBI is not yet looking at anyone as a potential person of interest following Duterte’s controversial statement.—LDF, GMA Integrated News