Sara Duterte explains neck ‘scar’: ‘They tried but failed to slash me’

FILE PHOTO: Vice President Sara Duterte says she is stepping down as education secretary not out of weakness but of concern for teachers and the youth, but did not give the reason for her irrevocable resignation. SCREENGRAB FROM DEPED PHILIPPINES FACEBOOK PAGE

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte has finally addressed the “slash scar” on her neck, which the public first noticed on June 12.

Reporters tried to reach the Office of the Vice President (OVP) for an explanation regarding the scar after people noticed it during Duterte’s attendance at the Independence Day flag-raising ceremony in Davao City. The OVP did not reply.

On Monday, June 24, in a video posted on Facebook, an anonymous person asked the Vice President what happened to her neck.

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She responded, “Sinubukan nila akong i-gurgur pero hindi sila nagtagumpay (They tried to slash me but they did not succeed.),” while gesturing the act.

Reporters asked Duterte again about the slash mark during an ambush interview in Cagayan de Oro City on Tuesday, June 25, pressing the Vice President to explain what really happened to her neck.

READ: Sara Duterte: My priority now is DepEd transition, not politics

But she said that her answer in the video on Facebook was already the “very straightforward” reply to the question and that it needed no interpretation.

“Hindi naman na siguro kailangan i-interpret ‘yun, very straightforward ‘yun. Tinanong ako kung ano ang sugat na nasa leeg ko at sinabi ko na sinubukan nila akong i-gurgur pero hindi sila nagtagumpay,” Duterte said.

(That probably doesn’t need to be interpreted, it’s very straightforward. I was asked what the wound on my neck was, and I said they tried to slash me but they didn’t succeed.)

When asked who she was referring to, the Vice President replied, “Silang lahat.” (All of them.)