House Senior Deputy Minority Leader and Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima on Wednesday asserted that the alleged death threats made by Vice President Sara Duterte against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. constitute the gravest possible ground for impeachment, stressing that such statements cannot be dismissed as a joke.
Speaking during the continuation of the House Committee on Justice hearing on April 29, De Lima said a video showing Duterte allegedly threatening several government officials, including Marcos, reflected a troubling state of mind on the part of the vice president.
De Lima cited Duterte’s own statement in which she allegedly claimed to have hired a hitman to kill the President, First Lady Liza Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez if she herself were killed.
“Napanood po natin ito sa live streaming video noong gabing ‘yon nakita natin ang totoong Sara Duterte, nanlilisik ang mata, halos bumula ang bibig, at lumabas ang dugo sa tenga dahil tila ba sasabog na ang kanyang ulo sa galit dahil sa pagdetain sa kanyang Chief of Staff dito mismo sa loob ng batasan,” she said.
"May kakayahan si VP Sara at ang pamilya Duterte na isakatuparan ang kanilang mga bantang pagpatay sa Pangulo," pahayag ni De Lima.
The lawmaker also referenced witness accounts and past statements suggesting Duterte’s capability for violence, linking it to accusations against her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, who is currently facing charges of crimes against humanity before the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“Marami pong sinabi si Lascanas sa kakayahan ni VP Sara na maging katulad ng kanyang tatay kaya noong sinabi ni VP Sara na kumuha na siya ng hitman para patayin ang First couple hindi po ‘yon biro, siya po mismo ang nagsabi ‘no joke’ hindi biro ang pagbabanta ni VP Sara para sa buhay ng Pangulo at unang ginang na ginawa niyang banta ito ay hindi na alegasyon,” De Lima emphasized.
“This is a clear pattern running along all the Duterte children. They are all cut from the same cloth and woven from the same fabric as their father who is now facing three charges of crimes against humanity before the ICC,” De Lima said.
According to De Lima, the incident demonstrated not only a direct threat to the President but also a broader danger to the nation.
“Hindi lamang sa pagbabanta ng pangulo ang ating nasaksihan noong gabing iyon…kung hindi ang lagim ng kinakaharap ng ating bayan sa ilalim ng isa na namang Duterte,” she said.
To support her argument, De Lima cited a Supreme Court ruling in Kalawag v. People (G.R. No. 171511, March 4, 2009), which held that grave threats constitute a punishable offense whether or not they are accompanied by conditions.
“Sa katunayan, ilang beses na nila inihalintulad ang pangulo sa libo-libong drug addict na pinapatay ng kanilang tatay. Sa tingin ko po, ito ang pinakamalalang ground for impeachment dahil ipinakita nito ang kawalan ng tamang pag-iisip ni VP Sara,” she said.
De Lima underscored the unprecedented nature of the incident, stating, “Pinakamalakas kung hindi pinakamalakas na ground para sa akin, as the endorser of the Saballa et. al complaints…Lahat ng grounds for VP are serious but more than the other grounds ito pong ground na ito the threats is one of the most important in the sense that it give us an insight into the true character and moral of fiber of the VP,“ she said.
“Never before in the entire history of the world has a sitting vice president threatened to kill the president and his wife on livestreaming video for the whole Filipino nation and even the world to watch," she said,” De Lima added.
The controversy stems from a 2024 video in which Duterte allegedly issued threats against Marcos, his wife, and Romualdez, drawing widespread criticism and prompting calls for accountability.
