|
National Bureau of Investigation Director Jaime Santiago said at
a news conference that the complaints of inciting to sedition
and grave threats against Duterte were filed at the Department
of Justice, which would decide whether to dismiss the complaints
outright or elevate them to court.
The vice president, a lawyer and daughter of former President
Rodrigo Duterte, reacted briefly by saying that she had expected
the move by the NBI. She has accused her political rivals of
taking steps to prevent her from seeking the presidency when
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s term ends in 2028.
The vice president's father himself, whose presidential term
ended in 2022, is facing legal troubles. The International
Criminal Court has been investigating the widespread killings
under a brutal anti-drug crackdown he oversaw while in office as
a possible crime against humanity.
Sara Duterte ran as Marcos' vice presidential running mate in
2022. Their whirlwind political alliance, however, quickly
frayed and deteriorated into a bitter feud in an Asian democracy
that has long been hamstrung by clashing political clans.
Last week, the vice president was impeached by the House of
Representatives on a range of accusations that included her
threat to have Marcos, his wife and House Speaker Martin
Romualdez killed if she herself were fatally attacked in an
unspecified plot that she brought up in an online news
conference in November.
The impeachment complaint, which was signed by majority of the
more than 300 members of the House, which is dominated by
Marcos’ allies, also included allegations of largescale
corruption and misuse of her office’s confidential funds. The
24-member Senate plans to tackle the impeachment complaint after
Congress reopens in June.
The vice president has vaguely denied that what she said
amounted to a threat against Marcos, his wife and Romualdez, the
president’s cousin, but her remarks still sparked a national
security alarm at the time and investigations, including by the
NBI.
The vice president said at a news conference last week that her
lawyers were preparing for a legal battle in her upcoming
impeachment trial, but she refused to say if resignation was an
option so that she could preempt a possible conviction that
would bar her from running for president in the future.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights
reserved |
|
