JUSTICE Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla has condemned Vice President Sara Duterte’s recent remarks about exhuming and throwing the remains of former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. into the West Philippine Sea, calling them “distasteful” and a violation of the Revised Penal Code.
Speaking on national radio on Sunday, October 20, Remulla stated that VP Sara’s comments constitute “desecration of the dead,” adding that, “It’s not funny.” He cited Article 353 of the Revised Penal Code, which criminalizes “defamation to blacken the memory of one who is dead.”
Remulla also expressed concern over the origin of VP Sara’s statements, describing them as “non compos mentis” (of unsound mind). He suggested that her recent tirades against the President, including imagining cutting off his head, indicate extreme thoughts.
“Considering cutting off President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s head, Sara shows how extreme her thoughts have become,” Remulla said. “Good that she didn’t run and become president.”
VP Sara’s comments, made at a press conference on Friday, October 18, followed alleged political attacks against her. She had threatened to exhume Marcos Sr.’s remains and throw them into the sea if the attacks continued.
Over the weekend, Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero expressed surprise and concern over VP Sara’s statements, deeming them “unbecoming of the second highest official of the land.” He urged her to be more circumspect in her words.
Two members of the Young Guns bloc in the House of Representatives also called for VP Sara to undergo a psychological examination.
Meanwhile, Father Joel Saballa of the Diocese of Novaliches, echoing the Church’s teachings on the sanctity of human remains, reminded VP Sara that “every human being, even in death, deserves respect and dignity.” He emphasized that “in times of controversy or discord, it is crucial to seek solutions through peaceful dialogue, understanding, and reconciliation, rather than through actions that promote further division or hostility.”
