Not only was Vice President Sara Duterte's "P5,000 gunman" comment potentially damaging to her case in her Senate impeachment trial; it could also be damaging to the country’s image.

Thus, said House impeachment adviser Robert “Ace” Barbers on Friday, July 31 following comments from respondent Duterte regarding her supposed knowledge on tapping hired killers in the Philippines.

According to Barbers, the casual remarks about hiring assassins can be detrimental to the image of the country as an investment and tourist destination.

“Nagulat ako coming from the Vice President sa panahon na nagkaroon ng paglitis sa kanyang utterances of grave threats sa unang artikulo [ng impeachment]. Parang kinumpirma niya na may kilala siyang gunman at alam niya presyo,” Barbers said of Duterte's controversial statement while at The Hague in the Netherlands.

(I was surprised that this came from the Vice President at a time when her utterances of grave threats were being tried under the first article of impeachment. It seemed like she confirmed that she knows a gunman and knows the price.)

She told reporters that a gunman or hitman could easily be hired in the Philippines for P5,000.

The former House quad-committee (quad-comm) overall chairman said the fact that the Vice President made these remarks a crowd in another country “paints a bad picture of the country” before the international community.

“Now it probably gives us a picture na totoo na may kontrata kasi alam niya ang presyo,” Barbers said, referring to the impeachment trial allegation that Duterte hired an assassin to kill President Marcos and other members of the First Family.

(Now it probably gives us a picture that there really is a contract because she knows the price.)

Barbers says the Vice President's remarks do not befit her position, or at the very least a Filipino who is travelling overseas.

“Kung ikaw ay nasa ibang bansa you should be an ambassador of goodwill and dapat kinukwento mo ano ang maganda dito kasi nag-eenganyo tayo ng mamumuhunan sa ating bansa, nag-eenganyo tayo ng mga turista,” he noted.

(If you are abroad, you should be an ambassador of goodwill and talk about what is good here, because we are encouraging investors and tourists to come to our country.)

“Now how do we expect the positive response ng mga taong nakakadinig nyan. Sa aking paniwala nakakasira ito sa imahe ng ating republika, ng ating mga kababayan dito. Imagine painting a picture na pwede pala mag-hire ng assassin dito sa halagang P5,000,” he added.

(Now how do we expect a positive response from people who hear that? In my view, this damages the image of our republic and our citizens. Imagine painting a picture that you can hire an assassin here for only P5,000.)