Palace on Marcos' alleged influence on DOJ: 'Lowest kind of argument'

MANILA, Philippines — Palace Press Officer Claire Castro on Thursday described as “the lowest kind of argument” the insinuation by Vice President Sara Duterte’s defense counsel that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had a hand in the probe into Duterte’s assassination threats.

During Duterte’s impeachment trial on Wednesday, July 8, Atty. Carlo Narvasa questioned the National Bureau of Investigation’s (NBI) probe into Duterte’s threats against the president, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

READ: Sara Duterte’s kill threat vs Marcos ‘absolute’, says witness

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Narvasa appeared to suggest that Marcos could influence the investigation because the NBI is under the Department of Justice (DOJ), which falls under the executive branch.

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“To show and insinuate that the president is involved in this investigation is probably the lowest kind of argument,” Castro said in Filipino at a briefing.

Castro, who is also a trial lawyer, stressed that the DOJ has long been under the executive branch.

“The NBI has its own mandate. If it found and proved that there was a threat to the life of the president—and it wasn’t just one or two people who saw it, the whole world saw the threat against the lives of the president, the first lady, and the former House speaker,” she explained in Filipino.

“So, it is the NBI’s mandate to investigate this because it is for the protection of our president,” she added.

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READ: Sara Duterte trial: Witness admits no direct knowledge of alleged hitman

During his cross-examination on Wednesday, Calilung confirmed to Narvasa that he has no personal knowledge that any of the three alleged offended parties filed a criminal complaint.

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“Did you really investigate this case?” Narvasa asked, prompting an objection from private prosecutor Amando Virgil Ligutan. /mcm

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