House prosecutor Leila de Lima on Saturday said Vice President Sara Duterte‘s alleged threat against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. could constitute an impeachable offense regardless of whether it was made with a condition.
Speaking at a news forum, De Lima said there is no such thing as a “conditional threat” when a person threatens another individual or members of that person’s family with acts that may constitute a crime.
The remarks refer to Article IV of the Articles of Impeachment, which cites Duterte’s 2024 online press conference in which she said she had instructed someone to kill Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez if she were killed.
“With or without a condition, it does not remove the statement from the definition or elements of grave threats under the Revised Penal Code,” De Lima said.
She added that even if an act is not prosecuted strictly as a criminal offense, it may still qualify as an impeachable offense under the constitutional ground of betrayal of public trust.
“With or without condition, it’s still a threat. And therefore wrong, and therefore criminal, and therefore impeachable,” De Lima said.
