A spokesperson of the House prosecution panel on Wednesday said Vice President Sara Z. Duterte’s own admission that she had contracted a person to kill President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. if she herself were killed already constitutes a betrayal of public trust.
Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said such an admission, if taken at face value, amounts to an impeachable offense because betrayal of public trust is one of the constitutional grounds for removing an impeachable official from office.
“The mere fact that she had that idea and made an understanding, an agreement with a person whose livelihood is sourced out from killing people, is already a betrayal of public trust,” Alonto Adiong said during a press briefing.
“Kasi she is expected to uphold the law, she is expected to promote the rule of law that no one should take justice into their own hands,” he added.
Alonto Adiong argued that a public official who claims to know of a hired killer should have immediately informed law enforcement authorities instead of allegedly entering into an agreement with such a person.
“‘Yun mismo ‘yung alam niya na merong mamamatay tao at hindi niya ito pinagsabi sa mga pulis, sa mga ahensya ng ating gobyerno, at siya mismo ang nakipag-usap. That alone is a betrayal of the oath that she has taken prior to the assumption as Vice President of this land,” he pointed out.
The remarks came as House prosecutors continued presenting evidence before the Senate sitting as an impeachment court on Article IV of the Articles of Impeachment, which accuses Duterte of making grave threats against the President, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez.
Alonto Adiong said the prosecution’s case goes beyond proving that Duterte made the statements captured on video, stressing that it also seeks to demonstrate the seriousness of their consequences.
“I think it’s not only about establishing the veracity and the authenticity of these video clips, but more important is what the effect of the threats that she made against the President to the whole nation,” he said.
“Anong epekto nito? Hahayaan ba natin ito na basta-basta na lang ma-express without accountability?”
He said authorities were compelled to investigate because the alleged threats were directed against the country’s head of state, head of government, and commander-in-chief.
“You cannot also expect that the agencies will not do anything to investigate because it was said in a manner by which it should be taken seriously,” Alonto Adiong said.
“The threat was done, directed not just for an individual, but it is directed against the head of state, head of government, and the commander-in-chief. That’s why it is also a national security concern.”
According to Alonto Adiong, the coordinated response by several government agencies underscores that the alleged threats were treated as a legitimate security issue.
“That’s why many agencies came in and investigated if there was indeed an agreement that was made and reached by the respondent and the hitman,” he said.
The prosecution’s first witness, National Bureau of Investigation Senior Agent John Mark Calilung, authenticated Duterte’s Nov. 23, 2024 online media briefing in which she said she had contracted someone to kill Marcos, the First Lady and Romualdez if she herself were killed.
Calilung also authenticated official statements issued by the Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines, National Security Council and other government agencies showing that the remarks prompted official security assessments and investigations.
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