Sara skips NBI probe, says no plan to hide

MANILA, Philippines —   Vice President Sara Duterte says she will not flee the country or go into hiding if authorities issue an arrest warrant in connection with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)’s probe of her threats against President Marcos.

“I do not plan to leave the country or hide if there’s a warrant of arrest – mainly because my children are here. So, when I’m detained, I want to be able to see my children,” Duterte told reporters yesterday.

The Vice President said she is prepared for the “worst-case scenario” where she would be facing multiple cases, including impeachment complaints, and face arrest for possible non-bailable offenses connected to the NBI’s investigation.

Duterte justified skipping the NBI’s scheduled probe yesterday and said “it wouldn’t matter” if she attended, as authorities had “already predetermined filing cases.”

“With regard to fairness, I don’t know if this investigation will be fair, because you all heard the President’s message, that he will not allow ‘criminal acts’ to go unpunished,” she said, referring to Marcos’ pronouncements following Duterte’s press conference, where she talked about contracting a person to kill the President, First Lady Liza Marcos and Speaker Martin Romualdez if an alleged plot to kill her succeeds.

“So, with the President’s pronouncements, you’d already see that there’s bias. Even the Department of Justice (stood firm) that ‘a threat is a threat.’ So, even if I went or not, we believe cases will be filed, even if they’re saying they had an investigation,” Duterte added.

The Vice President, however, asserted that she did not regret revealing having tapped a person to “take revenge” on the three.

“No (I do not regret it). It’s good that they know what will happen if I die. I will not die in vain,” Duterte said.

Scheduling conflicts

In declining to appear before the NBI yesterday, the Vice President cited scheduling conflicts with her office’s yearend thanksgiving party.

Represented by her legal counsel Paul Lim, Duterte submitted a letter denying the allegations and explaining her absence.

NBI director Jaime Santiago confirmed receiving the letter, but noted that it was not a sworn affidavit or counter-affidavit.

“The Vice President showed courtesy by sending her counsel and a letter, which is enough for me not to feel disregarded,” Santiago said in an ambush interview.

However, he stressed that absence from the inquiry could disadvantage Duterte.

“If you’re accused and choose not to respond, your silence condemns you,” Santiago said.

The NBI clarified that it would proceed with consolidating evidence and testimonies, including video clippings of Duterte’s press conferences in October and November, to submit a recommendation to the Department of Justice (DOJ) in early January.

In her letter, Duterte denied making any threats that could constitute violations under the Cybercrime Prevention Act or the Anti-Terrorism Act.

The letter cited her prudence in cooperating with the investigation, given its initiation by senior government officials, and expressed confidence that the full context of her statements would exonerate her.

The NBI has also issued subpoenas to other individuals related to the case, including journalists and vloggers who attended Duterte’s virtual press briefings.

Those summoned have until Friday to provide their statements.

Not confident

As impeachment complaints have started to gain momentum in the House of Representatives, Duterte yesterday admitted that she is not confident about her chances in the proceedings due to the significant number of allies in Congress who have since turned against her.

Duterte said her camp is confident about the legal aspect of the proceedings, having hired enough layers, but conceded on the impeachment’s political aspect, which requires votes from lawmakers.

“No, we’re not confident with numbers now because impeachment is a … in the legal aspect, we’re confident because all the lawyers are reviewing the drafts of the complaint, but with regard to politics, that’s a different matter altogether,” she told reporters.- Mark Ernest Villeza