Young Guns leaders call for psychological evaluation of VP Sara after disturbing remarks

YOUNG Guns leaders are urging a psychological evaluation of Vice President Sara Duterte following her recent press conference, where she admitted imagining cutting off President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr.’s head and threatened to exhume the remains of his father and throw them into the West Philippine Sea.

House Assistant Majority Leader and Zambales 1st District Rep. Jay Khonghun expressed deep alarm over Duterte’s remarks, saying, “Walang matinong tao ang makakaisip, lalo’t gagawa, ng ganitong klaseng pahayag. Nakababahala ang antas ng kawalan ng katinuan sa kanyang mga salita.”

“For someone in such a high position to make violent and grotesque threats, even in jest, shows a troubling level of instability,” Khonghun stressed. “Kailangang magkaroon ng masusing psychological assessment upang matiyak kung siya ay karapat-dapat pang maglingkod sa bayan sa ganitong kritikal na posisyon.”

House Assistant Majority Leader and La Union 1st District Rep. Paolo Ortega V echoed these sentiments, emphasizing the potential dangers of Duterte’s statements and highlighting the serious implications of her words.

“Ang ganitong uri ng marahas at nakakatakot na mga pahayag ay hindi katanggap-tanggap mula sa kahit sino, lalo na sa isang nakaupong Bise Presidente. Malinaw na may malalaking katanungan tungkol sa kanyang estado ng pag-iisip at emosyonal na kalagayan,” Ortega pointed out.

“We urge the Office of the Vice President to consider seeking professional help for Vice President Duterte, as this behavior is deeply concerning and could have serious consequences for our nation’s leadership,” he added.

In a press conference last Friday, Duterte recounted an incident where she imagined beheading the President, acknowledging it as the moment that made her realize how toxic their relationship had become.

Duterte further disclosed that she once sent a message to the President’s sister, Sen. Imee Marcos, warning that if the attacks against her continued, she would exhume the remains of their father, the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr., and throw them into the West Philippine Sea. She added that the senator did not respond to the message.

Her remarks came amid increasing scrutiny of her handling of public funds in both the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education (DepEd), where she served as Secretary for two years until her resignation in July this year.

The press conference occurred a day after a House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability hearing revealed that the DepEd, under Duterte’s leadership, had falsely claimed to have used confidential and intelligence funds (CIFs) for a youth program, while the military and local government units had actually shouldered most of the expenses.

Military officers testified that DepEd’s CIFs were not used in the Youth Leadership Summits (YLS) they organized in 2023. However, under Duterte’s leadership, DepEd used military certifications regarding the YLS to justify the allocation of P15 million in CIFs, which were supposedly intended for paying informants.

During her press conference, the Vice President sidestepped the issues related to the CIFs and the damaging testimonies from military officers. 

Instead, she launched personal and aggressive attacks against the President, leading many lawmakers to see her actions as a desperate attempt to deflect attention from the controversy.

Ortega underscored the gravity of Duterte’s recent statements, emphasizing the need for responsible leadership amid such troubling behavior.

“The Filipino people deserve leaders who are mentally and emotionally stable, especially during challenging times,” Ortega said. “Mas makabubuti para sa bansa kung sumailalim si Vice President Duterte sa isang propesyonal na pagsusuri.”

Khonghun emphasized that this issue now goes beyond financial accountability.

“Higit pa ito sa usapin ng maling paggamit ng pondo ng bayan. Ang nakakaalarmang pag-uugali ng Bise Presidente ay nagpapakita ng mas malalim na problema na kailangang tugunan,” he said.

“We cannot afford to have leaders who let their emotions spiral out of control in such a public and extreme manner,” Khonghun added.