MANILA, Philippines – Vice President Sara Duterte said on Wednesday, December 11, that she has no plans to hide or leave the country if a warrant of arrest is issued against her in connection with her cases.

She made the statement after skipping the rescheduled National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) probe into the verbal threats she made against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez during a midnight press briefing on November 23.

“I do not plan to leave the country or hide if there’s a warrant of arrest, mainly because my children are here. So when I’m detained, I want to be able to see my children,” Duterte said when asked about the possibility of being arrested, during a thanksgiving lunch with the media at her office in Mandaluyong City.

Duterte said she sent her lawyers to the NBI to deliver a letter, where she “vehemently denies having made any threat” that could be classified as a “grave threat” under the law, or as a violation of the country’s anti-terror law.

Her lawyers in the letter to the NBI said the content and context of the November 23 press conference was publicly available, adding they were confident the agency was investigating threats to their client’s life with the “same attention and vigor.”

The Vice President was initially summoned to appear before the NBI on November 29, but instead, she sent a letter through her lawyer explaining her absence — she supposedly learned, too late, that the House probe into her alleged fund misuse that morning had been rescheduled. The House committee on good government had announced the postponement a day earlier to give way to the NBI probe.

The NBI is investigating whether Duterte committed grave threats under Article 282 of the Revised Penal Code in relation to Section 6 of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 (Republic Act No. 10175), or violated the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 (RA 11479).

Duterte also said on Wednesday that she does not regret making the kill remark against the Marcos family.

“At least they know that if I die, I will not die in vain,” she said in a mix Filipino and English.

‘Unfair’ probe

The Vice President said she does not expect a fair investigation at the NBI due to the previous statements made by government officials regarding the case.

She pointed out that Marcos’ own remarks about her alleged threat were an indication that the probe would not be impartial.

“Regarding whether this investigation will be fair, you can see the President’s message, stating that he will not tolerate such criminal acts. This shows that the President’s pronouncements already carry a certain bias,” Duterte said.

In a recorded interview on November 25, two days after Duterte made the verbal threats, Marcos said he would not let such threats go unchallenged, vowing to fight back against them.

NBI Director Jaime Santiago assured the Vice President of a fair inquiry and said the subpoena for questioning would have been an opportunity for her to elaborate on the threats against her.

“It would have been easier had (the vice president) appeared before us,” he added.

Santiago said he would leave it to the Vice President to decide whether to face investigators before they conclude their probe next month.

The NBI has also subpoenaed summoned members of the media who covered the press briefing, along with vloggers from the Diehard Duterte Supporters (DDS), to shed light on the incident.

Duterte is also facing two impeachment complaints at the House of Representatives and a disbarment case at the Supreme Court. Additionally, the Philippine National Police has filed complaints for direct assault, disobedience, and grave coercion against her and her security personnel. –  with reports from Reuters/Rappler.com