Sara Duterte's alleged threat vs. Marcos to be tackled first in impeachment proceedings

The House prosecution panel announced it will first present evidence on Vice President Sara Duterte's alleged threat against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his family, stating its intent to underscore that "impunity is not acceptable." The prosecution is referring to Duterte's expletive-laden online press conference in November 2024, where she allegedly said she had spoken to someone who would kill President Marcos Jr. (BBM), First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and Speaker Emeritus Martin Romualdez if she were killed. Kabataan Party-list Rep. Renee Co, a spokesperson for the prosecution panel, explained at a press conference that the panel chose to present this article of impeachment first to send a strong message against impunity. "Regardless of who was allegedly contracted to carry out the assassination or who the intended targets were, we do not want to hear a public official saying that such a plan exists or that someone has been asked to carry it out," she said. "This is about going against the culture of impunity. We want to make an example that contracting a hitman is never acceptable, regardless of who the intended target is." Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Adiong, another spokesperson for the panel, agreed, emphasizing that no one, especially an incumbent vice president, should take justice into their own hands. "It is safe to say that we value decency in whatever we do, all the more for someone who enjoys public support, authority, and a mandate," he stated. "What we are talking about here is whether she remains fit to continue serving as Vice President based on her behavior and her propensity to make statements that undermine the rule of law and the principle that no one should take justice into their own hands." Adiong also argued that the alleged threats are significant because they were supposedly made by someone who stands to benefit if they were carried out. "The one making all these threats is the direct beneficiary—someone who would stand to benefit if the President were taken out of the picture. That much is clear to the Filipino people, which is why we will discuss that first," he added. Private prosecutor Benjamin Tolosa Jr. said the alleged threats against the President are among the least disputable allegations in the impeachment complaint. "We all saw the video in which the lives of the President, the First Lady, and the former Speaker of the House were threatened. It was also clearly stated that there was an agreement with an assassin to carry it out. So, we decided to start with this," Tolosa said. Source: GMA News Philippines