Threats made by Vice President Duterte about President Marcos cannot be dismissed as 'jokes' — Palace

Malacañang on Wednesday said the threats made by Vice President Sara Duterte against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in late 2024 were serious and should not be dismissed as mere jokes.

Malacañang on Wednesday said the threats made by Vice President Sara Duterte against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in late 2024 were serious and should not be dismissed as mere jokes.

"Seryoso po, kahit biro o hindi biro ang pagbabanta sa buhay ng isang pangulo (Threats to a President's life are serious whether it was made as a joke or not)," Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said in a briefing on Wednesday, March 4.

Castro made the statement after Quezon City Rep. Bong Suntay attempted to downplay Duterte’s infamous death threat against Marcos during an online press briefing in November 2024.

The Palace official emphasized that grave threats are legally distinct from cases of murder, homicide, or physical injury, as they cover threatening to commit a crime against a person, their honor, or their property.

"It involves threatening another person with infliction of crime on the person, in the honor and the property of that person being threatened," Castro said.

No matter the circumstances, Castro said, the threat remains serious.

"Kung sa ibang tao o sabihin na natin, doon sa mga nagsasabing hindi seryoso ang mga salitang 'Patayin mo ang isang tao kapag...' o 'I will kill you if…' Kahit ano pa ang kondisyon niyan, nandoon ang pagbabanta, nandudoon ang pagki-create ng fear and anxiety in the person being threatened, nandudoon ang intimidation," she said.

"Kung sa pamilya kaya nila ito gawin, tumawag ang isang tao at sabihing, 'I am imagining myself killing you,' hindi ba sila mati-threaten? Nasasabi lamang nila ito dahil hindi sila ang na-threaten," Castro added.

The comments refer to Duterte’s statement on November 23, 2024, in which she allegedly claimed she hired an assassin to kill Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez if something happened to her. 

She later retracted the threat, saying there would be no benefit for her if Marcos were harmed.

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-Paraluman News