Vice President Sara Duterte confirmed her attendance at the Department of Justice’s (DoJ) preliminary investigation into the complaint filed against her by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) over an alleged plot to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and others.
“Yes, I have already spoken with my lawyer regarding our counter-affidavit. I will appear because I need to take an oath,” Duterte told reporters in Cagayan de Oro City on Wednesday.
The preliminary investigation is scheduled for 9 and 16 May.
The NBI recommended that Duterte be charged with inciting to sedition and grave threats after she reportedly said she had instructed someone to kill Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and Speaker Martin Romualdez if a supposed plot against her succeeded.
Duterte, however, has maintained that her comments were taken out of context and that she was simply expressing her frustration with the Marcos administration.
In another statement, Duterte said she had no information about a replacement for House Speaker Romualdez.
“I have no information on any document about replacing Speaker Romualdez. I don’t think that is relevant right now because the damage has been done. The mistakes and corruption in our budget are so huge. Even if we replace Speaker Romualdez, we can’t get back the money lost due to corruption,” she said.
Duterte also said the administration’s investigation of Prime Water, which is owned by the Villar family, is politically motivated because she had endorsed the candidacy of Rep. Camille Villar for senator.
“Most likely, yes, because everything the administration is doing now is driven by politics. I haven’t seen anything done by this administration for the peace and progress of our country. Everything is just political attacks against people they can’t intimidate or buy,” she said.