House security on heightened alert; VP Sara may show up

House of Representatives session — File photo from LYN RILLON

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives is currently on a heightened alert status, House Secretary General Reginald Velasco confirmed on Monday.

This comes two days after Vice President Sara Duterte’s remarks that she had asked a person to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Marcos, and Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez if she would get assassinated.

Velasco said the alert status is in place at the Batasang Pambansa as the House goes into session.

The House Secretary General, in an ambush interview before the start of the House committee on good government and public accountability meeting, noted that they are enforcing “double security.”

He likewise disclosed that they received information that Duterte may show up in the chamber.

“Yes, yes. Nag-double security kami. Tapos meron din kaming information na darating dito si VP (Vice President),” Velasco told reporters.

(Yes, yes. We are enforcing double security. Then, we also received information that the vice president will arrive today.)

“Well, ang nag-augment sa amin, ‘yung PNP (Philippine National Police), kasi hindi naman kami makaka-hire ng additional. So, kapag kami, additional security requirements, we always ask the PNP to beef up our security,” he said.

(Well, what augmented our security is PNP, because we cannot hire additional personnel. So if we need additional security requirements, we always ask the PNP to beef up our security.)

Velasco added that both the internal and external security of the Batasang Pambansa have been leveled up.

However, the House official clarified that Romualdez’s security was not increased and that no red alert status has been put in place.

“Both in and out,” Velasco said. “Hindi naman (nadagdagan ang security ni Speaker). Same pa rin,” he noted.

(The speaker’s security was not increased. It’s still the same.)

“Wala naman kayong nakitang red alert dito. Wala. Wala. May session lang. May session tayo today, eh,” he explained.

(You cannot see any red alert here. There’s none. There’s none. We just have a session today.)

Last Saturday morning, Duterte said that she had talked with someone who would kill Romualdez, his cousin President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos if she (the vice president) would be assassinated.

“May kinausap na ako na tao. Sinabi ko sa kanya, ‘Kapag pinatay ako, patayin mo si BBM (Bongbong Marcos), si Liza Araneta, at si Martin Romualdez.’ No joke, no joke. Nagbilin na ako,” Duterte uttered.

(I had talked with someone. I told the person: ‘If I am assassinated, kill BBM, Liza Araneta, and Martin Romualdez.’ No joke, no joke. I gave these instructions.)

The vice president also made negative remarks about Romualdez and the first couple in the same briefing.

Duterte conducted her online briefing inside the office of her brother, Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo Duterte — where she stayed last Thursday night after visiting her chief-of-staff, Undersecretary Zuleika Lopez.

Lopez was detained at the House premises after she was cited for contempt.

After Duterte refused to leave her brother’s office, the committee on good government and public accountability transferred Lopez to the Correctional Institute for Women, which was opposed by the vice president.

Duterte’s camp then claimed that Lopez was suffering from a medical emergency, leading to the Office of the Vice President (OVP) official being brought to the Veterans Memorial Medical Center.

READ: Sara Duterte’s kill remark vs Marcos is ‘active threat’ – Palace 

During the ordeal, Duterte claimed that there were several abuses committed, but Velasco maintained that the actions taken by the House were in accordance with protocols.

READ: House on VP Duterte’s chief of staff detainment: Guided by protocols 

Velasco reiterated that these accusations are not true.

“Sinabi nga namin na hindi totoo ‘yung mga sinasabi na kinumpiska yung cellphone, walang access sa lawyer. ‘Di ba no’ng sine-serve ‘yung order, nando’n si VP na sinasabi nya, siya ‘yung lawyer? At binigay naman natin ang access,” he recalled.

(We have said that claims about confiscating a cell phone and preventing access to lawyers are not true. Isn’t it that when we were serving the order, the VP was there and she said she was lawyering for Lopez? And so we gave her access.)

“Even ‘yung decision ko na padala sa Veterans para makita talaga kung may problema, that’s because we are concerned about the health condition of Atty. Lopez,” he added.

(Even my decision to send her to the Veterans Memorial Medical Center is because we are concerned about the health condition of Atty. Lopez.)