SEN. Bong Go appealed to fellow senator Imee Marcos to help settle the rift between the Marcos and Duterte camps, given her “history of fostering unity” during the 2022 elections.
Go made the call amid the worsening feud between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte.
Go, a close ally of the Dutertes, said in a chance interview on Saturday Senator Marcos could have a “potential role as a unifying figure” in patching up the differences between the two clans.
Senate President Pro Tempore Jose Estrada shared Go’s sentiments.
“Perhaps the friendship between Senator Marcos and Vice President Duterte could be a big factor,” Estrada said in Filipino.
Go appealed to Senator Marcos, “as the sister of our president — and she also treats as sister VP Inday Sara Duterte —
to possibly mediate for the welfare of every Filipino.”
“If she was able to form the Uniteam of Marcos and Duterte during the last election, perhaps she can be an instrument for peace and reconciliation,” he said.
Go said the political bickering between two of the country’s most powerful clans was a waste of time. “You were elected to work [for the country]. I am appealing for reconciliation so we can all work and serve our fellow Filipinos.”
The rift worsened last week after the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability ordered the vice president’s chief of staff Zuleika Lopez detained after citing her in contempt for refusing to answer questions about how the confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) were spent.
Duterte visited the detained Lopez on Thursday and then threatened to camp out in the office of her brother, Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte, until Lopez was released.
Go said the House should respect the rights of resource persons invited to its hearings.
“Please stop the harassment. Please be reminded that this should be in aid of legislation, not persecution,” he said.
On Saturday, Lopez was transferred to the Veterans Memorial Medical Center after she displayed symptoms of a panic attack.
Duterte went with Lopez to the hospital and stayed by her bedside.
“She woke up several times in the night, had three dreams of someone smothering her with a pillow. No appetite,” Duterte said of Lopez.
“She allowed me to go see my children as long as Sen. Bong Go will replace me and that I come back in the evening,” she said.
Duterte also mentioned that Lopez “demanded lawyers stay outside the room 24 hours a day. Gusto niya (She wants a) daily lawyer meeting.”
On Sunday, House Secretary General Reginald Velasco provided the details on the transfer of Lopez to a medical facility.
“At 2:29 a.m. on November 23, 2024, Atty. Lopez exhibited symptoms of a medical emergency… By 2:35 a.m., her doctor was granted access to evaluate her condition,” Velasco said.
An ambulance from the Quezon City Police District arrived at the Batasang Pambansa, and by 3:08 a.m., Lopez was on her way to the Veterans Memorial Medical Center, he said.
Velasco said Lopez was later brought to St. Luke’s Medical Center for further assessment.
“She received comprehensive medical care, and her safety was ensured at all times, with House representatives accompanying her,” he said.
Velasco also denied that a lawyer was not allowed to see Lopez while she was detained at the House.
“Before any lawyer arrived at the House premises, Vice President Sara Duterte entered Atty. Lopez’s detention room and introduced herself as her legal counsel. At 12:25 a.m., Atty. Lito Go, another lawyer, was granted access to provide legal assistance,” he said.
“The House strictly follows due process and established protocols to safeguard the rights and safety of all detainees,” Velasco said.
High point
The falling out between the Marcoses and Dutertes hit a high point on Friday night when the vice president created a stir when she said she had hired an assassin to kill the president and members of his family.
On Sunday, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said he considers the threat against the president and his family as “serious.”
“We shall be closely coordinating with law enforcement and intelligence agencies to investigate the nature of the threat, the possible perpetrators, and their motives,” Año said, without mentioning the vice president.
“We underscore that the safety of the President is a non-partisan issue, and we stand united in our commitment to upholding the integrity of the office and the democratic institutions that govern our great nation,” he added.
The Presidential Security Command (PSC) has already “heightened and strengthened” the security for the president and his family.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil has ordered the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) to investigate Duterte’s threat.
The Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), the President’s political party, expressed alarm over the vice president’s threat.
It said in a statement Sunday it “strongly and unequivocally condemns any attacks against our democracy. We reject all forms of violence, threats, or actions that jeopardize the safety of our people and the stability of our nation.”
“Such rhetoric has no place in a democracy, in a Bagong Pilipinas that values accountability, peace, and order,” it said.
House leaders bore down on Duterte for threatening the Marcos family.
Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr. (Pampanga 3rd District) said Duterte’s statement is not only a heinous crime but also a betrayal of the highest order.
“The gravity of these statements cannot be overstated. A kill order on the President is not only a heinous crime but also a betrayal of the highest order — one that shakes the very foundation of our democratic institutions,” Gonzales said.
House Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe (Zamboanga City 2nd District) called for an investigation to uncover the truth behind the assassination plot against the President.
“The people deserve to know the full extent of this plot, including any potential abuse of power or betrayal of public trust. The integrity of our democracy demands nothing less,” Dalipe said.
Deputy Speaker David Suarez (Quezon 2nd District) considered Duterte’s threat a “potential risk” to the nation.
“This situation transcends politics. It is about the survival of our democracy, the preservation of public trust, and the safety and stability of our nation. Any individual, no matter how high their rank, must be held accountable for actions that threaten the integrity of our government,” Suarez said.
He also said Duterte’s remarks were a diversion.
House Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe said Duterte’s claim that Romualdez wanted to be president “has no basis at all.”
“We are appealing to our people not to fall for these unreasonable outbursts intended to distract them from the real issue,” Dalipe said.
Presidential Adviser on Poverty Alleviation Larry Gadon urged Romualdez and the members of the House to “act now to remove” the vice president from office.
“This time, with the clearer proofs shown by the vice president like her threat to kill the President and the first family and her refusal to explain her millions of pesos in confidential funds, Congress could now move to impeach her and declare her incapacitated,’ Gadon told The Manila Times in an online interview.
Duterte’s threat “is a clear manifestation of an unstable mind and abnormal thinking, so therefore she is mentally incapacitated,” Gadon said.
Gadon said there were two ways for the lawmakers to unseat the vice president.
One is by declaring her incapacitated, and the other by impeaching her for betrayal of public trust over her refusal to explain the disbursement of hundreds of millions of confidential funds.
Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa downplayed the threat as “conditional.”
“She set a condition, didn’t she? If she gets killed, meaning, nothing will happen if she will not be harmed,” Dela Rosa said in Filipino when interviewed at St. Luke’s Hospital, where Lopez was transferred.
WITH KRISTINA MARALIT ARLIE O. CALALO AND PHILIPPINE NEWS AGENCY
