CHUA: SARA'S 2024 THREATS AGAINST TOP OFFICIALS MAY CONSTITUTE CONSTITUTIONAL VIOLATION

Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua on Wednesday said Vice President Sara Duterte's alleged 2024 threats to have the country's top officials killed run contrary to her constitutional oath and may constitute a culpable violation of the Constitution, a serious ground for impeachment.

Chua made the remark as the House Committee on Justice deliberated on one of the seven grounds cited in the fourth impeachment complaint against Duterte.

The allegation stems from statements Duterte made during a widely reported November 2024 press conference, in which she reportedly said she had spoken to someone about killing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez should something happen to her.

"Definitely, 'yung pagbabanta po is not a form of executing its laws. And therefore, there is a clear violation and culpable violation of the Constitution," Chua said, citing Article VII, Section 5 of the 1987 Constitution, which requires the President and Vice President to faithfully perform their duties, preserve and defend the Constitution, execute its laws, and dedicate themselves to the service of the nation.

He added that the alleged threats may also constitute betrayal of public trust, another constitutional ground for impeachment.

"Gross faithlessness. Pagtataksil sa tiwala ng publiko," Chua said. "Definitely, 'yung pagbabanta po sa ating Pangulo, sa First Lady, at sa ating Speaker ay maliwanag na pagtataksil dahil itong tao po, 'yung Pangulo po natin, ay pinagkatiwalaan at hinalal para mamuno po sa ating bansa"

Chua clarified, however, that the committee is not determining guilt at this stage.

"We have to look at the surface. Hindi ko po sinasabi na guilty na," he said, noting that the panel's role is to determine whether the allegations, if assumed true, constitute impeachable offenses warranting the continuation of the constitutional impeachment process.

Source: iMPACT Leadership

Chua: Sara's 2024 Threats Against Top Officials May Constitute Constitutional Violstion