Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte yesterday failed to appear for questioning over a purported threat to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, choosing instead to send a letter denying an allegation she made a “grave threat” to his life.
Duterte, an influential ally of Marcos until their acrimonious fallout earlier this year, was subpoenaed to appear before the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to explain remarks during a recent press conference, when she said she had hired a hit man to kill Marcos, his wife and the lower house speaker, in the event that she herself were killed.
Duterte, the daughter of firebrand former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, has not detailed any specific threat to her life, while Marcos has described her remarks as “reckless and troubling.”
Photo: Reuters
NBI Director Jaime Santiago read a letter to media that he said was sent by Sara Duterte’s lawyers stating she “vehemently denies having made any threat” that could be classified as “grave threat” under the law, or violation of the country’s anti-terrorism act.
The investigation comes as Sara Duterte is the subject of impeachment complaints in the lower house for alleged graft, incompetence and amassing ill-gotten wealth while in office, which she has denied.
Her lawyers in the letter to the NBI said the content and context of the Nov. 23 news conference was publicly available, adding they were confident the bureau was investigating threats to their client’s life with the “same attention and vigor.”
Santiago assured Sara Duterte a fair enquiry and said the subpoena for questioning would have been an opportunity for her to elaborate on the threats against her.
“It would have been easier had [the vice president] appeared before us,” he said.
Santiago said he would leave it to the vice president to decide whether to face investigators before they conclude their probe next month.
Seven people sustained mostly minor injuries in an airplane fire in South Korea, authorities said yesterday, with local media suggesting the blaze might have been caused by a portable battery stored in the overhead bin. The Air Busan plane, an Airbus A321, was set to fly to Hong Kong from Gimhae International Airport in southeastern Busan, but caught fire in the rear section on Tuesday night, the South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said. A total of 169 passengers and seven flight attendants and staff were evacuated down inflatable slides, it said. Authorities initially reported three injuries, but revised the number
‘BALD-FACED LIE’: The woman is accused of administering non-prescribed drugs to the one-year-old and filmed the toddler’s distress to solicit donations online A social media influencer accused of filming the torture of her baby to gain money allegedly manufactured symptoms causing the toddler to have brain surgery, a magistrate has heard. The 34-year-old Queensland woman is charged with torturing an infant and posting videos of the little girl online to build a social media following and solicit donations. A decision on her bail application in a Brisbane court was yesterday postponed after the magistrate opted to take more time before making a decision in an effort “not to be overwhelmed” by the nature of allegations “so offensive to right-thinking people.” The Sunshine Coast woman —
BORDER SERVICES: With the US-funded International Rescue Committee telling clinics to shut by tomorrow, Burmese refugees face sudden discharge from Thai hospitals Healthcare centers serving tens of thousands of refugees on the Thai-Myanmar border have been ordered shut after US President Donald Trump froze most foreign aid last week, forcing Thai officials to transport the sickest patients to other facilities. The International Rescue Committee (IRC), which funds the clinics with US support, told the facilities to shut by tomorrow, a local official and two camp committee members said. The IRC did not respond to a request for comment. Trump last week paused development assistance from the US Agency for International Development for 90 days to assess compatibility with his “America First” policy. The freeze has thrown
TESTING BAN: Satellite photos show a facility in the Chinese city of Mianyang that could aid nuclear weapons design and power generation, a US researcher said China appears to be building a large laser-ignited fusion research center in the southwestern city of Mianyang, experts at two analytical organizations said, a development that could aid nuclear weapons design and work exploring power generation. Satellite photos show four outlying “arms” that would house laser bays, and a central experiment bay that would hold a target chamber containing hydrogen isotopes the powerful lasers would fuse together, producing energy, said Decker Eveleth, a researcher at US-based independent research organization CNA Corp. It is a similar layout to the US$3.5 billion US National Ignition Facility (NIF) in northern California, which in 2022 generated
RSS