MANILA, Philippines — The threats by Vice President Sara Duterte against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former Speaker Martin Romualdez were consummated given that the utterances were not made in secret, Malacañang said on Wednesday.
In a press briefing, Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro tagged as “laughable” the excuse offered by Duterte's impeachment trial defense team that the alleged threat was not directly made.
“Such statements are laughable. First of all, this was not a secret; practically everyone—not just in the Philippines but across the globe—saw it,” Castro said in Filipino.
Duterte’s previous remarks that she had contracted an assassin to eliminate Marcos, the first lady, and Romualdez was “not a simple case of grave threats” and was consummated “the moment the person being targeted becomes aware of the threat.”
“This was a livestream; we all saw it. Wouldn't the person being threatened be able to watch it themselves? Again, this is not a simple case of grave threats. In cases of grave threats, the crime is consummated as soon as the target learns of the threat, even if they were not physically present when it was made,” Castro said.
“Let me reiterate: this is not a simple case of grave threats. It involves our country's national security,” she added.
