Cheyenne Suarez

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. cannot suspend Vice President Sara Duterte despite the latter’s statement that she has ordered someone to kill the First Couple as well as Speaker Martin Romualdez if she is assassinated, a justice official said Thursday.

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Ombudsman--VP-Sara-Duterte.jpg

David Dizon

ABS-CBN News

<p>President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. cannot suspend Vice President Sara Duterte despite the latter’s statement that she has ordered someone to kill the First Couple as well as Speaker Martin Romualdez if she is assassinated, a justice official said Thursday.</p><p>Justice Secretary Jesse Andres noted only the Ombudsman can suspend the second highest official of the land, adding that the Office of the President can only suspend local government executives. </p><p>The current Ombudsman, Samuel Martires, was appointed to the position by President Rodrigo Duterte in 2018. Duterte is the father of the current vice president.</p><p>In the interview, Andres said Duterte could face disqualification from public office if proven guilty of violating the country’s Anti-Terror Law. He said a simple reading of the law shows that the threat to Marcos could be seen as a way to sow fear and even destabilize the government.</p><p>“[The law] punishes even a threat to commit terrorism or conspiracy to commit terrorism,” he said.</p><p>He said a threat to the President cannot be taken lightly, noting that even a school teacher who offered a P50 million reward to anyone who would kill President Duterte in 2020 was arrested and charged with inciting to sedition. The charge was later dropped. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/05/12/20/netizen-arestado-dahil-sa-p50-m-umanong-pabuya-sa-pagpatay-kay-duterte" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Guro arestado sa pagbabanta umano sa Pangulo sa social media</a></div><p>Vice President Duterte on Tuesday said her statement was taken out of context, saying she had to die first before the killing of the President, First Lady and Speaker of the House is carried out. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2024/11/26/-i-have-to-die-first-sara-duterte-explains-condition-of-revenge-plot-vs-marcoses-1522" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">&#x27;I have to die first&#x27;: Sara Duterte explains condition of &#x27;revenge&#x27; plot vs Marcoses</a></div><p>&quot;Common sense should be enough for us to understand and accept that a supposed conditional act of revenge does not constitute to an active threat. This is plan without a flesh,&quot; the Vice President said.</p><p>&quot;Tossing the word &#x27;assassin&#x27; into this issue makes things even more terrifying - and especially because I never used that term during my recent consternation against the Marcos administration&#x27;s failure to serve the Filipinos while it masterfully persecutes political enemies,&quot; she said.</p><div><br/></div><div><br/></div>

<p>President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. cannot suspend Vice President Sara Duterte despite the latter’s statement that she has ordered someone to kill the First Couple as well as Speaker Martin Romualdez if she is assassinated, a justice official said Thursday.</p>

Only Ombudsman can suspend VP Sara Duterte: DOJ

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Only Ombudsman can suspend VP Sara Duterte: DOJ

David Dizon,

ABS-CBN News

Published Nov 28, 2024 11:49 AM PHT

Read More:

sara duterte

ombudsman

antiterror law

terrorism

samuel martires

department of justice

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