Sara Duterte trial: VP video on violent thoughts vs Marcos shown

MANILA, Philippines — A nearly two-year-old video of Vice President Sara Duterte badmouthing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., saying she had imagined cutting his head, was played during the second day of Duterte’s impeachment trial.

This comes during the House prosecution panel’s direct examination of National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agent John Mark Calilung, who was the agent in charge of looking into Duterte’s proclamation that she had hired someone to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

After playing the clip of Duterte making the claim, counsel of the prosecution, Amando Ligutan asked Calilung how the investigation moved forward.

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Calilung said he also found prior videos in which the vice president made statements against the president. He later detailed that a press briefing also streamed online on October 18, 2024, showed such statements.

Then Calilung quoted the vice president’s statements that day, referring to Marcos Jr., whose clips were later shown during the trial.

The statements recalled by Calilung, quoting Duterte, are as follows (translated in English):

“I want to cut off his head. I just imagine myself cutting his head.”

“So that’s when I realized it was toxic, right? That’s how your imagination is, you’re strangling the person, and then I said, “this is over.”

“The sitting president doesn’t know how to be; is that my fault?”

“I don’t know. I actually told Senator Imee once, I told him, “If you don’t stop, I’ll dig up your father, I’ll throw him in the West Philippine Sea.”

“If he’s your president, it’s okay. I’m only up to vice president. This country is only up to number two; there’s no number one.”

It must be recalled that Duterte had repeatedly criticized Marcos Jr.’s leadership during that time.

On the second day of the trial, the impeachment court began tackling impeachment article IV, which pertains to Duterte’s grave threats and inciting to sedition. /mr

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