MANILA, Philippines — House prosecution spokesperson and Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua on Monday argued that Vice President Sara Duterte’s alleged threat against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. “speaks for itself” and should not be treated as merely a conditional statement in the grave threat complaint.
Responding to questions from reporters, Chua invoked the legal doctrine res ipsa loquitur—Latin for “the thing speaks for itself”—to support his position that the alleged statement itself is sufficient to establish the seriousness of the complaint.
“A threat is a threat. For example, if I say, ‘If you don’t pay your debt, I will kill you,’ you can still file a grave threat case against me. How much more if the threat is made by someone occupying one of the highest and most powerful positions in the country?” he said.
Chua also brushed aside questions over the absence of proof that authorities had identified or investigated an alleged assassin, saying the issue in the complaint is the alleged threat itself.
“What is being discussed here is the threat that was made, not the issue of an assassin. The alleged assassin has nothing to do with the threat because the threat can still be carried out even without one,” he said.
