Vice President Sara Duterte described as “stupid” the so-called “God Save the Queen” operation by a “Davao mafia” bent at making her the country’s next president.
Vice President Sara Duterte speaks to the media during a press conference held in Bacolod City on Nov. 11, 2024. (OVP screenshot)
The official dismissed the allegations on Monday, Nov. 11, during a press briefing at the Panay-Negros Island Satellite Office of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) in Bacolod City.
“Walang gumagawa ng operation na sasabihin niya kung ano iyong objective ng operation niya (No one does an operation where he will tell you the objective of the operation). Let’s say, for example, ang operation ko ay (my operation is) Save the Queen, napaka-obvious naman siguro na parang tipong ang aming operation ay (it's so quite obvious that our operation is like) to make sure that she becomes president tapos ang pangalan ng operation ay (then the name of the operation is) Save the Queen,” she said.
“Para walang tanga na operator na ipapangalan mo sa operation mo ay kung ano iyong objective mo (No operator is stupid enough to name your operations after your objective),” the official added.
Former Bureau of Customs (BOC) intelligence officer Jimmy Guban talked about a “God Save the Queen” operation by a so-called Davao mafia with the purpose of saving the queen in order to become president.
While he did not name the Vice President, Duterte is the lone female in the Duterte clan who’s in national politics.
She consistently topped presidential preferential surveys before deciding to run as President Marcos’ vice president, and continues to be a top choice among Filipinos for the 2028 polls.
Meanwhile, Duterte maintained that she still has no plans to attend the House quad committee hearing later this week, saying in jest that she would be ready for a fight in January 2025 instead.
While she hasn’t received an invitation, she said she has no plans to attend it because she’s busy preparing for the OVP's 89th founding anniversary.
“So, pagiisipan ko ma’am, pag gusto ko siguro makipagaway aatend ako (I will think about it, ma’am, if I want to fight, I will attend),” she said when asked by a member of the media.
“Pero sa ngayon kasi, sa January na lang makipagaway kasi sobra busy talaga (But for now, maybe I’ll just go to war in January because I’m really busy),” she added.
The official also explained that preparations for the OVP’s thanksgiving activities hindered four OVP executives from attending the House panel inquiry.
The four—Lemuel Ortonio, Gina Acosta, Sunshine Charry Fajarda and Edward Fajarda—were cited in contempt for their repeated failure to appear before the House panel.
The contempt order also carries an order for detention at the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Quezon City.