A PUBLIC school teacher was arrested after offering P50 million on social media to anyone who could kill then-president Rodrigo Roa Duterte, so Vice President Sara Z. Duterte cannot now be held to a lower standard after publicly saying she had instructed someone to kill President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez if she herself were killed.
“Kung ordinaryong teacher, hinuli dahil nag-offer ng P50 million sa isang post para ipapatay ang Pangulo. Pero kapag Vice President ang nagsabing may kinausap siya na papatay sa Pangulo, First Lady at Speaker kung may mangyari sa kanya, biglang free speech lang?” Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega V of La Union said Saturday.
“Hindi puwedeng magkaiba ang sukatan o standards kapag makapangyarihan na ang nagsasalita,” he added.
Ortega was referring to the 2020 arrest of teacher Ronnel Mas, who was accused of offering P50 million on Twitter to anyone who could kill then-president Duterte, a post he later apologized for and described as a joke.
“Hindi natin minamaliit ang karapatan sa free speech. Pero kung ang biro o post ng isang teacher ay agad tinrato bilang seryosong banta noon, bakit ngayon parang gustong palabasin na hindi seryosong banta ang mas mabigat na pahayag mula sa Pangalawang Pangulo?” Ortega noted.
The La Union House leader said the comparison is important because Duterte’s own statement was not merely a random post but a public declaration by the official first in line to succeed the President.
“Sa kaso ng teacher, offer umano na P50 million para patayin ang Pangulo. Sa kaso ng Vice President, sinabi niya mismo na may nakausap siyang tao at kung siya ay mapatay, patayin si BBM, si First Lady Liza at si Speaker Romualdez. Kung seryoso ang tingin natin sa una, mas seryoso dapat ang tingin natin sa pangalawa,” he said.
Ortega stressed that the issue is not about silencing criticism or political opposition but about applying the same rule of accountability to an ordinary citizen and to the second-highest official of the country.
“Simple lang naman ang tanong natin: bakit noong ordinaryong mamamayan ang nagsalita tungkol sa pagpatay sa Pangulo, may agarang pananagutan; pero kapag Vice President ang nagsalita, hihingi pa tayo ng espesyal na palusot?” Ortega pointed out.
He said the Office of the Vice President carries a higher standard of restraint because its occupant may assume the presidency under the Constitution at any time.
“Hindi private citizen ang nagsalita dito. Ang nagsalita ay Pangalawang Pangulo ng Pilipinas, ang opisyal na puwedeng maging Pangulo anumang oras kung mabakante ang Malacañang. Kaya ang bawat salita niya, lalo na tungkol sa buhay ng Pangulo, may bigat na hindi puwedeng basta i-dismiss,” he stated.
He maintained that impeachment is the proper constitutional process to determine whether such conduct remains consistent with the trust required of a high public office.
“The Vice President’s opinions are not on trial here. Making threats is not an opinion. The more important question here is: is she fit to hold the second-highest public office if she behaves this way?” he expressed.
Ortega said the Senate impeachment court should be allowed to hear the evidence, weigh the context and decide whether the Vice President’s statement can be reconciled with the standards expected of a constitutional officer.
“Kung sinasabi ng depensa na walang mali, harapin nila ang proseso. Ilabas ang paliwanag, ilabas ang ebidensya at hayaan ang impeachment court ang magpasya kung ordinaryong free speech ba iyon o seryosong paglabag sa public trust,” he said.
He said the public should not accept a system where the law is swift against ordinary Filipinos but cautious and accommodating when the person involved holds a powerful office.
Ortega said the central issue is whether the same government that once treated a teacher’s P50 million offer to kill a President as a serious matter can now shrug off a vice president’s alleged directive to kill the sitting president and other top public figures.
metrosundaily
