If the public does not see the truth behind the accusations against Vice President Sara Duterte, it will indeed become bloody, Malacañang said.

It came as a retaliation to Duterte's statement during her brief appearance at the Senate on Tuesday, July 7, where she was quoted saying: In this bloodbath and bludgeoning, I will be blooded but unbowed.

"Katulad ng sinabi sa Invictus, kung iyon po ang kanyang iniisip at kanyang opinyon ay hindi naman natin siya mapapahinto sa kanyang pagsasalita patungkol dito (As was said in Invictus, if that is what she thinks and that is her opinion, we cannot stop her from speaking about it)," Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said in a briefing on Wednesday, July 8.

"At magiging madugo talaga ‘to kung hindi makikita ng taumbayan ang katotohanan at iyan naman ang hinahanap ng ating mga kababayan – malaman ano ba talaga ng mga katotohanan sa mga ibinabato sa kanya. (And this will indeed become a bloody affair if the public does not see the truth. After all, that is what our fellow citizens are looking for—to know what the truth really is behind the accusations being thrown at her)," Castro added.

The Palace spokesperson stressed that Filipinos want answers, not legal technicalities, and pointed out that they want her to directly address allegations against her.

Duterte showed up at the Senate but did not attend the impeachment trial, which was on its second day.

Castro said that while the Vice President made a short statement during her visit to the upper chamber, there was still no denial on her part.

"Feeling niya na bloodbath ito at alam naman natin na ito ang kanyang hiniling. Siya mismo ang nagnanais ng isang bloodbath. But, sa kanyang maigsing salita kahapon ay wala pa rin tayong nadinig na pagtanggi sa mga akusasyon na ibinabato sa kanya (She feels that this is a bloodbath, and we all know that this is what she wanted. She herself called for a bloodbath. But despite her brief remarks yesterday, we still did not hear her deny the allegations being thrown against her)," Castro said.

Castro added that, instead of addressing the allegations, Duterte is leaving the matter to her lawyers, "which is likely part of their legal strategy."

"Pero mas nanaisin siguro ng taumbayan na madinig mismo kay Bise Presidente ang pagtanggi ng mga akusasyon sa kaniya hindi lang puro technicalities ang ginagawang depensa (However, the public would probably prefer to hear the Vice President herself directly deny the allegations against her, rather than relying solely on legal technicalities as her defense)," Castro said.

The Palace mouthpiece also stressed that there was no denial on the part of Duterte over the death threats she made against President Marcos.

"So, nagkaroon ng hearing kahapon para patunayan ito at sa ating pagkakaalam hindi ito dineny ng Bise Presidente at ang kanyang depensa lamang dito ay freedom of expression (There was a hearing yesterday to establish the facts, and to our knowledge, the Vice President did not deny the allegation and her defense was simply that it was an exercise of freedom of expression)," Castro said when asked about the President's reaction on the hearing.

"So, walang pagtanggi, walang pagpapasinungaling sa akusasyong totoo niyang pinagbantaan ang buhay ng Pangulo (So, there was no denial and no refutation of the accusation that she had indeed threatened the President's life)," Castro added.

She said that the President has not issued any statement about it and revealed that it was not even taken up during their meetings.

The Palace official also dismissed the argument of Duterte's defense team during the opening of the impeachment trial on Tuesday, saying it was not valid.

Duterte's defense team argued that the proceeding seeks to overturn the will of more than 32 million voters.

Castro argued that just because an official received millions of votes does not mean the impeachable offenses they allegedly committed should be ignored.

"Kung iyon ang susundan natin reason o argumento, ibig mong sabihin kahit na 100 percent ng mga Pilipino ang boboto sa isang public servant puwede na siyang gumawa ng mga impeachable offenses dahil malaki naman iyong boto niya e – so, huwag nang pansinin iyong mga impeachable offenses na diumano nagawa kasi binoto siya ng milyon o trilyon na mga Pilipino sa Pilipinas (If we follow that line of reasoning or argument, does that mean that even if 100 percent of Filipinos voted for a public servant, that official could still commit impeachable offenses simply because they received an overwhelming votes? In other words, should we just ignore the impeachable offenses they allegedly committed because they were elected by millions or even trillions of Filipinos)?" Castro questioned.

"So, hindi po ito tamang argumento kaya nga po mayroon tayong provision sa Constitution ng impeachment dahil ito lamang po ang paraan na maaaring makapagpatalsik sa isang public servant na umabuso ng kapangyarihan at nagsagawa ng mga impeachable offenses (That is not a valid argument. That is precisely why the Constitution provides for impeachment. It is the mechanism by which a public official who has abused the powers of the office and committed impeachable offenses may be removed)," Castro said.

The Palace spokesperson further stressed that it is not about the number of people who voted for someone.

"Ang usapan po dito ay accountability, transparency (It is about accountability and transparency)," she said, reiterating that the Palace's position remains that "if you are liable, you should be held accountable."