Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III on Monday, October 21 expressed belief Vice President Sara Duterte should seek professional help following her recent statements against President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr.

Pimentel, in a press briefing at the Senate, said he finds the second top leader of the country’s remarks last Friday as “unusual” especially when she conjured cutting off Marcos’ head when she said that her relationship with the President has turned “toxic.”

“Actually, nagwo-worry ako sa kanya, kay (I am worried about her, the) Vice President. Sa tingin ko (I think), she needs to talk to some professional and maybe some close friends and family para mailabas niya ‘yung mga nasa damdamin at nasa isip niya. Mahirap kung di mo siya mai-share (So she can share her sentiments and whatever she is thinking. It’s difficult if you can’t share it),” Pimentel said.

Pimentel further said he was skeptical at first when he heard Duterte saying she will exhume the remains of the late President Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani and throwing it into the West Philippine Sea.

“Yung narinig ko kasi, nagulat ako. Ang sabi ko AI ba ito? Hindi naman. Totoo pala (When I heard it, I was shocked. I thought is this artificial intelligence? But it wasn’t. It was real),” he pointed out.

“So it’s really, really unusual, yung mga sinabi ni Vice President Sara Duterte and to me, it’s strange that in the first place, naisip niya yun tapos vinerbalize lang niya (she thought of it then she verbalized it),” he said.

“These (statements) are unusual, actually up to being strange, eh,” he further noted.

Pimentel said he also hopes that someone can intercede and mediate between the President and Vice President so that they can reconcile.

“Sana meron mag-attempt pero hindi ko na ibe-blame yung mediator kung hindi siya mag-succeed (I hope somebody will attempt, but I won’t blame the mediator if he fails to succeed),” the minority leader said.

Ready for drug war probe

Pimentel also said he is ready for the task should he be formally designated as chairperson of the Senate Blue Ribbon Subcommittee that will investigate the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.

He said he believes Sen. Pia Cayetano, chairperson of the panel will soon name him as chairman of the subcommittee as agreed upon during the meeting with Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero.

He would have to be realistic, however, in inviting resource persons to the hearing, but assured he will consult his colleagues, on who should be invited to the hearing.

“Ako kasi, ang sinasabi ko lang sa mga colleagues ko (I tell my colleagues I’m) ready ako kung sa tingin nila may (if they think there is an) urgency… If there are two or more senators interested on the subject matter, and many are interested and it’s urgent, then we will hear it,” Pimentel said.

But once they start, Pimentel said the sub panel would have to “fast-track everything.”

“We do not really have all the time in the world because it is already budget season. I am also preparing for the budget hearing,” he said.

“As the minority leader, I have questions to ask. We will stay focused. We will deal only with issues relating to the drug war,” Pimentel said

“For an orderly investigation, we need an orderly story, so we will begin with the Duterte administration at 12 noon of June 30, 2016 or even days before that…until his end of term at 12 noon of June 30, 2022,” the lawmaker said.