DOJ exec says Sara Duterte probe to go on: ‘We will not shut up’

Department of Justice (DOJ) Usec. Jesse Andres answers questions from the media in a press conference at the Department of Justice in Manila City on Wednesday, November 27, 2024. – Andres said Monday, December 2, 2024, that “We will not shut up,” vowing that the DOJ investigation of Vice President Sara Duterte, who allegedly threatened President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his family members, will continue. INQUIRER.net/Ryan Leagogo

MANILA, Philippines — “We will not shut up,” an official of the Department of Justice (DOJ) said Monday, vowing that their investigation of Vice President Sara Duterte, who allegedly threatened President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his family members, will continue.

DOJ Undersecretary Jesse Andres was responding to Ombudsman Samuel Martires’ “shut up” remark against him amid questions on who has jurisdiction to investigate Duterte, who previously announced in an online press conference that she tasked someone to kill Marcos, his wife Liza Araneta-Marcos, and his cousin Speaker Martin Romualdez if she was killed.

Martires’ statement was a reaction to Andres’ earlier pronouncement that Duterte “is not immune from suit and can be subject to any criminal and administrative case” and that it is within the Ombudsman’s authority to act on the matter.

According to Andres, his statement was taken out of context, as he was only explaining that the Ombudsman can take over the jurisdiction of any cases under its mandate, such as graft, plunder, bribery, and other offenses committed by public officials.

“Everything that involves mga personal acts ng vice president, wala po ‘yan sa poder ng Ombudsman, nasa DOJ ‘yan,” Andres pointed out in a Teleradyo interview on Monday.

(All matters concerning the personal acts of the vice president are not within the Ombudsman’s authority but under the jurisdiction of the DOJ.)

READ: VP Duterte on feud with Marcos: ‘We have reached a point of no return’

“Kaya tuloy-tuloy po tayo, we will not shut up. We will stand up and we will fight for justice, accountability, and the rule of law,” he added.

(That’s why we will keep going; we will not shut up. We will stand up and fight for justice, accountability, and the rule of law.)

On Nov. 26, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) issued a subpoena against Duterte over her pronouncements that Malacañang deemed as an “active threat” to the life of President Marcos.

The NBI asked Duterte to appear before it on Friday, Nov. 29, but the vice president did not show up.

She instead requested a rescheduling of the subpoena due to a House of Representatives hearing that was supposedly scheduled on the same day.

NBI Director Jaime Santiago eventually said the hearing is reset to December 11.

According to Andres, Vice President Sara Duterte had requested an advance copy of the questions for the upcoming hearing.

However, he clarified that it is not standard practice to provide an advance copy of the questions.

Andres instead informed Duterte that the DOJ’s investigation would focus on two key aspects: the vice president’s alleged threat against Marcos and his family, as well as the threats Duterte claimed were made against her.

“‘Yung hinihingi naman po ni vice president na advance copy ng mga questions ay hindi po kasi normal ‘yon. Pinapaliwanag lang namin na dalawa po ‘yung main topic ng investigation,” the DOJ official said.

(The advance copy of questions being requested by the vice president is not a standard practice. We simply clarified that the investigation focuses on two main topics.)

READ: Bongbong Marcos to Sara Duterte: Point of no return? Never say never

*Unang-una ang pagbabanta niya, threat niya kay President Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, at kay Speaker Martin Romualdez. Sa mga binitawang po niyang salita sa isang video conference na interview na sinabi niya, “No joke po ito.” Napakaseryosong banta po niyan kaya tuloy-tuloy ang investigation ng NBI at iba pong ahensya kagaya na rin ng [Philippine National Police] at ibang intelligence agencies natin.”

(First is the threat she made against President Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and Speaker Martin Romualdez, as stated during a video conference interview where he said, ‘This is no joke.’ This is a very serious threat, which is why the investigation by the NBI, Philippine National Police, and other intelligence agencies continues.)

“Ngayon ang pangalawa po, ang sinasabi naman niyang banta sa kanyang sarili. Dahil nasa poder ng NBI na mag-imbestiga when there is a national security threat that involves the president and the vice president. So aalamin po natin ‘yan, kung ano ang sinasabi niyang threat,” Andres added.

(Now the second item is the threat she claims against her. Since the NBI has the authority to investigate national security threats involving the president and vice president, we will also look into the nature of this alleged threat she mentioned.)