PRESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Monday vowed to block any “criminal attempts” following Vice President Sara Duterte’s controversial remarks suggesting she would have him, his wife, and Speaker Martin Romualdez killed if she were to be assassinated.
“If planning to kill a President is this easy, how much more for ordinary citizens?” Marcos said in a video statement.
“Such criminal attempts should not be tolerated. I will fight against that,” he added.
Although Marcos did not mention Duterte by name, it was clear he was referring to her statement.
“The truth should not be silenced. This issue[tokhang] should have ended if only the sworn duty of public servants—to speak the truth—was upheld and not obstructed,” he continued.
“Instead of giving a direct answer, the matter was diverted into a trivial story,” the President remarked.
Duterte’s inflammatory comments over the weekend came amid a House panel probe into the alleged improper use of funds by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) under her leadership.
At the start of his video message, Marcos expressed concern about the situation.
“The statements we have heard in the past days are alarming. There have been ruthless curses and threats of plans to kill some of us,” he said.
Marcos and Duterte were running mates in the 2022 elections.