House leaders condemn VP Sara Duterte’s explosive remarks as investigation continues

House leaders on Monday continued to condemn what they called the unbecoming behavior of Vice President Sara Duterte, who recently went ballistic and threatened to dump the remains of the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. and admitted to imagining beheading the latter’s son and namesake. 

Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr. said it was very unusual for a public official, especially the second highest, to utter such “foul” remarks against a deceased person.

“I hope there is no such talk. I only hear them during drinking sessions in the streets, in barangay, when people are drunk and joking. But not in press briefings,” Gonzales told reporters. 

In a press conference on Friday, an irked Duterte severely criticized how ineffective the administration of her running mate, Marcos Jr., saying she daydreamed of decapitating him.

The VP also recalled how she warned the president’s sister, Senator Imee Marcos, that she would exhume their father’s remains from the Libingan ng mga Bayani and throw them into the West Philippine Sea if they did not cease the supposed political attacks against her and her family.

Antipolo Rep. Romeo Acop, quad comm vice chair, suspects that Duterte may be “overwhelmed by anger and hate,” which prompted her to “lose [her] sense of decency.”

Duterte is currently at the center of a House probe over allegations of mismanagement of hundreds of millions of pesos in confidential and intelligence funds allocated to her office and the Department of Education, which she headed for nearly two years until her resignation last 19 June.

Acop, however, made it clear that they will not ease up on their mandate and will continue with the investigation despite Duterte’s troubling display of anger. 

Meanwhile, Santa Rosa Rep. Dan Fernandez, a co-chair of the quad comm, warned Duterte to be careful when making such statements as she does not have immunity from suit.

“Time and opportunity will chase us, like for example the statements made by our former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte, now the situation is catching him. We hope that this will not happen to the Vice President,” Fernandez said in the same briefing.

“Definitely, somebody might file a case against her. Nobody can prevent that because our Vice President does not have immunity. These kinds of words are painful and should not be said coming from an official of our country,” he added.

Earlier, Duterte accused the House leadership of plotting to impeach her, claiming the inquiry was solely intended to "discredit her ahead of the 2028 presidential polls", where she is perceived as the front-runner.

Her remarks against the Marcoses sparked widespread outrage from both the public and lawmakers, who condemned her comments as diversionary tactics aimed at deflecting attention from the serious allegations regarding the misuse of public funds.

Her supporters, however, interpret it as evidence of her courage and resistance to the current regime.