Gov’t not designating Sara Duterte as terrorist — DOJ

An official of the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday maintained that there has been no move to designate Vice President Sara Duterte as a terrorist amid her kill order against President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.

“Hindi naman po kasi siya dine-designate as a terrorist,” Justice Undersecretary Jesse Andres said in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB.

(She is not being designated as a terrorist.)

“Wala pong ginagawang ganyan sa bise presidente. Wag po niyang pangunahan ang gobyerno. Wala pong ganyang ginagawa. ‘Yung act po ng pananakot niya, ‘yun po ang pinapanagot siya,” he later added.

(We're not doing something like that to the vice president. She shouldn’t preempt the government. It is her act of intimidation that she is being held accountable for.)

The DOJ statement comes two days after Duterte was served with a subpoena "to shed light on the investigation for alleged Grave Threats under Art. 282 of the Revised Penal Code in rel to Sec. 6 of RA 10175 and Possible Violation of RA 11479."

A 11479 is the Anti Terrorism Act of 2020.

Andes earlier explained that the subpoena was issued to give Duterte a chance to explain her remarks.

"Kami po ay nagpadala ng subpoena kay VP Sara para mabigyan ng pagkakataon na magbigay linaw sa kanyang mga pahayag sa kanya pong viral video kung saan galit na galit po siya, nagsasalita at nagbigay po ng banta," Andres said.

"Ngunit ang banta pong ito ay hindi lang sa pag iisip. Dahil ang banta na 'yan ay sinimulan na niyang gawin," he added.

(We sent a subpoena to VP Sara to give a chance to shed light on her remarks in the viral video in which she was fuming and talking, and issued a threat. The threat was not just in the mind because she already started to act on it.)

Andres pointed to Section 4 of the anti-terror law. 

"Section 4 [describes] the acts of terrorism and one of the acts defined there as punishable in Section 4 of the Terrorism Law is when one engages in acts intended to cause death or serious bodily injury to any person. Or endangers a persons life," Andres said.

Duterte claimed that the NBI probe was meant to access her assets and properties. 

“Natatawa ako sa violations on the anti-terror law kasi sinusubukan nila to reach sa aking properties and assets,” Duterte said Wednesday.

(I find the violation of the anti-terrorism law funny since they’re trying to access my properties and assets.)

She said the same thing was done to suspended Negros Oriental Representative Arnolfo “Arnie”Teves Jr., the alleged mastermind in the killing of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degeamo and others.

Andres, however, said that Teves was tagged as a mastermind due to the killing as well as “numerous acts” of Teves in Negros Oriental.

“’Yung kay Teves po ‘yan, as an individual, because of the past and numerous acts of former Congressman Teves, dahil taon na po ‘yun under cloth of fear ang buong bayan po na nasasakupan niya. Napakadaming EJKs (extrajudicial killings) doon at hindi po natutunton na murders for the past several years,” he said.

(That's about Teves as an individual, because of the past and numerous actions of former Congressman Teves. For years, the community under his influence has lived in fear. There have been many extrajudicial killings there, and the murders from the past several years have gone unsolved.)

In 2023, the Anti-Terrorism Council designated Teves and 12 others as terrorists, citing several alleged killings and harassment in Negros Oriental.

Threat

Meanwhile, Andres said that the threat to commit terrorism is also punishable under the law.

“Even a threat to commit terrorism ay punishable po ‘yan and ‘yung pag harm po ng ibang tao na inaamin naman ng ating bise presidente, we have to take it in the context of all the pronouncements and everything that is happening now,” he said.

(Even a threat to commit terrorism is punishable, as is the threat to harm that was said by the vice president. We have to take it in the context of all the pronouncements and everything that is happening now.)

“Kaya hindi naman kami nag huhusga. Magkakaroon po ng pagkakataon na ipapatawag namin ‘yung mga taong nararapat hingan ng pahayag. We will do it," he added.

(We are not judging. Those individuals whose statements must be taken will be given a chance to explain. We will do it.)

Duterte previously said that her statement that she would have Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez assassinated if she were killed was “maliciously taken out of logical context.”

The vice president, Marcos' running mate in 2022, also said that she and and the President have reached the  “point of no return.”

“I believe we reached the point of no return and it is clear na [that] they are really going after me,” Duterte told reporters in a press briefing.

“Gusto nila akong tanggalin sa position,” she said. 

(They want to remove me from my post.)

She also reiterated that her remarks were not a threat, and that she only highlighted the alleged threat to her security. 

Both the DOJ and the NBI assured Duterte that due process would be followed regarding the investigation.

--VAL, GMA Integrated News