From left to right: Deputy Speaker Quezon 2nd district Rep. David “Jay-jay” Suarez, Senior Deputy Speaker Pampanga 3rd district Rep. Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr., and Majority Leader Zamboanga City 2nd district Rep. Manuel Jose “Mannix” Dalipe (Facebook)

Top leaders of the House of Representatives have come out to echo President Marcos' indignation of Vice President Sara Duterte's recent death threats against the Chief Executive.

Senior Deputy Speaker Pampanga 3rd district Rep. Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr., Deputy Speaker Quezon 2nd district Rep. David “Jay-jay” Suarez, and Majority Leader Zamboanga City 2nd district Rep. Manuel Jose “Mannix” M. Dalipe all believe that Duterte should face accountability for what she said in her latest meltdown.

On Monday, Nov. 25, Malacan̈ang released a video message from President Marcos wherein he denounced Duterte's threats to his life, which she nonchalantly made in a press conference.

“Ang pagbabanta sa buhay ng Pangulo ay hindi lang krimen – ito ay senyales ng kawalang-kakayahan na mamuno nang maayos. Ang ganitong asal ay nagpapakita ng problema kung papaano mag-isip ang isang lider na dapat ay nagtutulak ng pagkakaisa, hindi kaguluhan,” said Gonzales.

(Threatening the life of a President is not just a crime---it betrays a lack of ability to lead properly. This attitude shows the problem in the thought process of a leader, who ideally should espouse unity, not chaos.)

The ranking congressmen expressed their full support for President Marcos’s call for respect for democratic processes and accountability. 

“Malinaw ang sinabi ng Pangulo--kailangan manaig ang batas at ang katotohanan. Walang sinuman, kahit ang Pangalawang Pangulo, ang exempted dito,” Gonzales said.

(What the President said was clear--the law and the truth must prevail. Nobody, even the Vice President, is exempted from this.)

Suarez described Duterte’s behavior as a clear danger to the nation. 

“Her behavior only proves that her actions may cause discord in our people, making them a danger to the nation. Mismong Pangulo na natin ang umalma. Unity po ang panawagan ni PBBM, pero may bounds po ang pagkakaisa kung ang kasama niyo ay pinagbabantaan ang inyong buhay,” Suarez said.

(The President himself has criticized her. PBBM called for unity, but even unity has bounds if the person you're with wants you dead.)

“We cannot allow this kind of recklessness to undermine the trust of the people in their leaders,” Suarez added.

Dalipe, for his part, accused Duterte of undermining the presidency and the rule of law. 

“Ang pagbabanta ng karahasan sa Pangulo mismo ay hindi lamang mali kundi isang pagtataksil sa bayan. Ang ganitong pagkilos ay kailangang masagot ng Vice President sa ilalim ng ating batas,” said Dalipe, a Mindanaoan like Duterte. 

(Threatening the President himself with violence is not just wrong, it's a betrayal of the nation. The Vice President must address these actions under our laws.)

They warned of the dangers of allowing such behavior to go unchecked. 

“Kung kayang magbitiw ng ganitong klaseng pagbabanta laban sa Pangulo, ano pa kaya ang kayang gawin ng isang lider na wala nang takot sa batas?” Dalipe said.