Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega V on Wednesday reacted to Vice President Sara Duterte‘s latest remarks before the Senate impeachment trial, saying he noticed her repeated use of references to “blood” in public statements.
Duterte made the statement, “In this bloodbath and bludgeoning, I will be bloodied but unbowed,” when she briefly appeared at the Senate on the second day of her impeachment trial before leaving without addressing questions from reporters.
Ortega said Duterte’s latest statement reminded him of her previous remarks in which she said she wanted a “bloodbath” during the impeachment proceedings.
He also noted that the phrase “bloodied but unbowed” echoes language from the poem Invictus by William Ernest Henley.
According to Ortega, Duterte’s one-line statement was left open to interpretation because she did not explain what she meant before leaving the Senate.
He also said he was not surprised that Duterte did not stay for the proceedings, adding that her brief appearance drew public attention before she departed.
