Sara hits back at BBM, links Marcos family to Aquino assasination

National

VICE President Sara Duterte has fired back at President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s recent statement regarding assassination threats, suggesting that the Marcos family was behind the 1983 assassination of former senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr.

In an ambush interview on Monday, November 25, Duterte was asked to respond to Marcos’ comment that if an incumbent president could be openly targeted for assassination, ordinary citizens would be even more vulnerable.

Duterte, who had previously made a controversial claim about hiring a hitman to target Marcos, House Speaker Martin Romualdez, and First Lady Liza Marcos if she gets killed, turned the focus to Aquino’s 1983 murder.

Duterte, referencing the strong public backlash following Aquino’s death, remarked, "Didn’t the people fight back when they plotted the assassination of Benigno Aquino?”

The assassination of Aquino, a staunch critic of Marcos Sr., remains a pivotal moment in Philippine history, fueling outrage that led to the downfall of the Marcos dictatorship.

Duterte's remarks come amid mounting tensions between her office and the House of Representatives. The vice president’s chief-of-staff, Undersecretary Zuleika Lopez, was detained last week after being cited for contempt by a House committee investigating the usage of confidential funds in the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education.

Lopez’s detention was extended after a motion by Rep. France Castro, who accused her of trying to interfere with an audit by the Commission on Audit.

Duterte, who visited Lopez in detention last week, later expressed anger at House Speaker Romualdez and the Marcoses, issuing expletives and repeating her threats.

She also expressed willingness to face the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) regarding the hitman comments, but insisted that the agency answer her questions as well.(CMM)