Vice President Sara Duterte speaks to the media at the Batasan Pambansa in Quezon City on November 25, 2024, while the hearing on alleged irregularities in the use of confidential funds by the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education is suspended. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

QUEZON CITY — Vice President Sara Duterte asked on Monday why the government is supposedly not giving attention to her claims that there is a threat against her life.

Duterte responded to a question if she told the government the alleged threats to her life.

"Nag-complain ako noon, if you can remember, in the media and they dismissed it. Everything is well documented with documents and videos," she said on the sidelines of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability hearing.

Last June, the Vice President explained the "scar" on her neck which caught the attention of the public and went viral on social media.

She claimed there was an attempt to "gurgur" or attack her but they did not succeed. However, the Vice President did not reveal who these people were.

The National Security Council (NSC) on Sunday said it is "closely coordinating" with law enforcement agencies to look into the threat against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The NSC did not name Duterte in its statement.

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Duterte alleged she hired an assassin to kill the President, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and House Speaker Martin Romualdez if she is indeed killed.

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The Vice President also claimed that Romualdez wants her dead.

"Nagsabi ang NSC na national security concern ang threat sa President. Pero apparently they really do not consider a threat to the VP as any kind of concern. What kind of country is this?" Duterte said on Monday.

"Hindi ba parte ng gobyerno ang vice president? Hindi ba ako binoto ng mga tao? Hindi ba ako ng vice president ng buong Pilipinas ng lahat ng Pilipino?" she added.

Duterte also addressed questions if she will take legal action on the supposed threat against her.

"I do not expect fairness from this government, really, truly. That is the reason why I am pussy-footing with court cases. We do not expect fairness. Imagine mo saan ka nakahanap na-admit 'yung tao sa hospital, biglang naka-discharge na siya in less than an hour? Saan ang hustisya diyan?" she said.

DUTERTE ON EXTENSION OF DETENTION VS. ZULEIKA LOPEZ

Duterte reiterated that she questioned the House panel's decision to extend the originally 5-day detention period of OVP chief-of-staff Zuleika Lopez to 10 days.

"Walang due process ang pagpapatanggal kay Gloria Mercado at iba pang officials ng Department of Education (DepEd)? Ano sabi ko kanina? The position of a undersecretary and assistant secretary is a position of trust and confidence by an appointing authority," she said.

The Vice President was referring to the accusations there was a lack of due process in the resignations of former DepEd officials Gloria Mercado, Kris Ablan, Christopher Lawrence Arnuco, and Jose Arturo de Castro.

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Duterte explained the appointing authority of top DepEd officials is the President.

"Dapat tinatanong ng House of Representatives kung bakit tinanggap ng President ang resignation ng mga Usec. at Asec. na 'yun sa Department of Education? Bakit nila pine-penalize si Usec. [Zuleika] Lopez? Hindi ba dapat pine-penalize nila 'yung appointing authority?" she added.

Duterte also said Lopez was not "evasive" when she told lawmakers she does not know about the utilization of confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President and DepEd.

She likewise slammed the House panel for penalizing Lopez for signing the letter to the Commission on Audit, requesting the body to not comply with a subpoena to submit all documents on the 2022 and 2022 confidential funds of OVP and DepEd.

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"Sabi nila kwestiyunin mo sa korte. Saan kami pupunta sa mga ginagawa sa amin? Mismong komite alam nilang mali ang ginagawa nila... Napakadali na sabihin nila, 'okay we will set aside the detention order,' pero hindi. Mali na nga 'yun una mong detention, mali pa 'yung sumunod na order," Duterte said.

When asked if the Vice President will question the contempt order against Lopez at the Supreme Court, she hinted at losing trust in the justice system.

"We don't trust anyone anymore in this country. We don't expect justice anymore in this country. This is clear political harassment, this is clear political persecution," she said.