Vice President Sara Duterte admitted that she has reached a point where she is simply waiting for the current administration to have her jailed, adding that she is prepared for whatever may come.
Duterte made the remarks on the sidelines of the Office of the Vice President’s 90th anniversary event at Makati Shangri-La on Friday, where she also expressed her office’s support for upcoming anti-corruption protests.
When asked if she fears that this support might prompt the government to file charges against her, Duterte said she does not.
‘Honestly, to tell the truth, I’m just waiting for when they’ll put me in jail,’ she told reporters, speaking in a mix of Filipino and English, during a chance interview.
‘But apparently, up to now, they still can’t figure out a strategy to put me in jail, because they really have no evidence of any wrongdoing on my part,’ she added mostly in Filipino.
The Vice President also said she is not worried about Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla or any potential cases he might file against her – especially since his office has already begun reviewing complaints over the alleged misuse of confidential funds by her office and the Department of Education (DepEd) during her tenure.
‘I’m not afraid because I am already prepared for whatever might happen to me,’ Duterte said.
Sedition charges used to silence dissent
Duterte also claimed that sedition charges are being used by the government to intimidate critics, particularly after the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group filed a criminal complaint against Cavite Representative Francisco ‘Kiko’ Barzaga over violent incidents during the Sept. 21 anti-corruption protests.
According to Duterte, the government should be thick-skinned instead of being easily offended by criticisms or dissent.
‘Inciting to sedition is what they’re using as a threat, and what I want to say is that the administration shouldn’t be too thin-skinned, because dissent is an essential aspect of democracy and good governance, and you cannot suppress it,’ she said in Filipino.
‘Because it is the people’s right to speak their thoughts and feelings. Even if what they say isn’t in favor of the administration or government, it must still be respected,’ she added.
Duterte herself is facing sedition and grave threats charges before the Department of Justice after revealing in an online press conference last November 2024 that she asked someone to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., his wife Liza, and his cousin, former Speaker Martin Romualdez, should she herself be killed.
Threats of arrest against administration critics are not new. During the time of Duterte’s father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, former senator and now Mamamayang Liberal party-list Rep. Leila de Lima was arrested and detained for nearly six years on drug-related charges.
The charges against de Lima, a vocal critic of the elder Duterte’s anti-drug campaign, were eventually dismissed.
Her detention was widely condemned by human rights groups and seen as politically motivated.