Sara Duterte: 'I can hire a gunman for P5K' to illustrate gun violence in PH 

Vice President Sara Duterte cited a hypothetical gunman-for-hire scenario as she questioned the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) assertion that the alleged victims in its case against former President Rodrigo Duterte were all victims of the government’s anti-illegal drugs campaign.

Speaking before supporters in The Hague, Netherlands, Duterte argued that the implementation of a government program, whether good or bad, does not in itself constitute a crime against humanity.

“Now, the implementation of a program, whether it was good or bad, is not a crime against humanity,” she said.

She added that the ICC has yet to establish that those listed as victims in the case were all killed because of the drug war, claiming gun violence is common in the Philippines.

To illustrate her point, Duterte gave a hypothetical example.

“I have a husband. My husband has a mistress. I can hire a gunman for 5,000 pesos to kill the mistress. That is how—for 5,000 pesos—that is how bad gun violence in the Philippines is,” she said.

Palace hits back

Malacañang, in response, said the Vice President should help in curbing such criminal acts if she has an idea how to do so.

“Ang Pangulo at ang administration na ito ay kumakalaban sa mga criminal acts, sa mga ginagawang krimen,” Palace Press Officer Usec. Claire Castro said at a press briefing.

(The President and this administration are fighting criminal acts being committed.)

“Kung siya naman po pala ay merong nang kinalaman patungkol dito, hindi po ba dapat siya ay tumulong para ito ay mabawasan? Or at least maibigay niya ang datos patungkol dito?”

(If she herself knows something about this, shouldn’t she help reduce it? Or at least provide the data on this?)

Castro pointed out that Duterte has been a public official for a long time, just like her father Rodrigo.

“Bakit kaya hindi ito nasawata kung totoo ang kanyang binabanggit patungkol dito? Dapat siya na ang nauna na ito ay pigilan at hindi i-promote ang pagkausap sa isang assassin para pumatay sa taong kanyang kinainisan o sa taong siya ay galit,” she said.

(Why didn’t they stop these crimes if what she’s saying is true? She should have been the first to prevent it, rather than promoting the idea of hiring an assassin to kill someone she detested or was angry with.)

To recall, Sara Duterte is facing impeachment charges over allegations of culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, betrayal of public trust, bribery, and other high crimes.

One of the articles of impeachment against her accused her of grave threat and assassination plot against President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

Other motives

In facing her supporters in The Hague, Vice President Duterte said killings could stem from other motives.

“It can be that it is a crime of passion. It can be murder because of a third party in a relationship. It can be plain hold up. So how can they say now that all the victims there are victims of the drug war?” she said.

The Vice President also criticized the pace of the ICC proceedings, saying more than a year had passed since the former president’s transfer to The Hague without significant developments in the case.

She maintained that Rodrigo Duterte should be released, saying his continued detention was unjust and that he was neither a flight risk nor likely to obstruct the proceedings. — with Giselle Ombay/RSJ, GMA News