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Elizabeth Marcelo - The Philippine Star
May 17, 2025 | 12:00am
Vice President Sara Duterte holds a press conference at the Office of the Vice President in Mandaluyong City on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, days after the House of Representatives moved to impeach her.
Philstar.com / Martin Ramos
MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte did not attend the second day of the Department of Justice (DOJ)’s preliminary investigation on the charges of inciting to sedition and grave threats filed against her by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), which stemmed from her controversial remark about contracting someone to kill President Marcos, the First Lady and the House Speaker.
Duterte was represented by her lawyers Michael Poa and Paul Lim.
In an interview with reporters, Poa said there was no longer a need for the Vice President to personally attend yesterday’s proceedings as she had already taken her oath during the first day of the preliminary investigation last May 9, and on the same date had also filed her counter-affidavit to answer the allegations against her.
Poa pointed out that it was now the turn of the NBI to reply to the Vice President’s counter-affidavit but as of yesterday, their camp has yet to receive one from the NBI.
Poa said their camp intends to submit supplemental affidavits on Monday.
He said it was also agreed during yesterday’s proceedings that the DOJ prosecutors will decide on Monday whether the complaint will already be submitted for resolution or additional hearings dates will be set.
The NBI’s complaint stemmed from Duterte’s remark in an expletive-laden online press conference past midnight on Nov. 23, 2024 where she said that she already tapped someone to kill President Marcos, First Lady Liza and House Speaker Martin Romualdez in the event of her death.
Duterte later said that her remarks were “taken out of its logical context.”
In her counter-affidavit filed last week, Duterte urged the DOJ to junk the NBI’s “false” and “baseless” complaint.
“Being accused of a criminal offense, I am constitutionally presumed innocent even in these proceedings and need not dignify the complaint with a reply, when no evidence has been shown to support it,” Duterte’s counter-affidavit read. — Helen Flores, Jose Rodel Clapano
