Speaker not taking VP threat sitting down

House Speaker Martin Romualdez lashed out at Vice President Sara Duterte after she made her “reckless” and “dangerous” threats to have him, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos assassinated if a supposed plot against her succeeded.

In a speech on Monday before the House plenary, Romualdez stressed that such “alarming” and “unprecedented” remarks could not be ignored, and Duterte must face the consequences.

“That’s not a joke. That is no longer normal speech. We cannot let this pass as mere rhetoric. The gravity of such a confession demands accountability. It demands answers,” the Speaker said.

Duterte had said in an early Saturday press briefing that she had instructed someone to kill the Marcos couple and Romualdez if she was assassinated.

The threat prompted government agencies, including the Department of Justice, to take legal action.

Duterte later claimed her statement was “maliciously taken out of logical context.”

President Marcos condemned Duterte’s “criminal attempt” but the Vice President insisted she wouldn’t back down.

Romualdez — whom Duterte accused of orchestrating the House probe into her alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds for his presidential ambitions — said her statement was a distraction from the issue.

“Why these baseless accusations? The answer is simple: to divert attention from mounting evidence of fund misuse under her leadership at the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education,” Romualdez asserted.

“If you have nothing to hide, why not answer the questions? Accountability is not optional. Transparency is not negotiable,” he said.

He added that the House would “not tolerate or accept vague explanations” from those involved in the questionable fund disbursements. “No amount of noise can drown out the truth,” he stressed.

Duterte, who has denied mismanaging the funds, dismissed the House probe as a “well-funded” political attack aimed at discrediting her. She also claimed that she was informed of a plot to impeach her and that Romualdez plans to run for president in 2028.

Duterte and Romualdez have been clashing since 2023 after the House reallocated her confidential fund request to security and intelligence agencies.