QUEZON CITY (PIA) — Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla on national radio on Sunday, Oct. 20, said that Vice President Sara Duterte’s “distasteful” rants, especially on the exhuming and throwing into to West Philippine Sea the remains of the late Ferdinand Marcos Sr. constitute a violation of the Revised Penal Code.
Sec. Remulla said that VP Sara’s comment amounts to “desecration of the dead,” adding that, “hindi rin nakatatawa ‘yun, eh (It’s not funny).”
Under existing provisions under Article 353 of the Revised Penal Code, “defamation to blacken the memory of one who is dead is criminalized.”
Sec. Remulla also said that VP Sara’s statements do not reflect the thinking of a sane or clear-minded person, describing it as “non compos mentis” (of unsound mind) in terms of its origin.
At a press conference on Friday, October 18, Sara said that she once warned Sen. Imee Marcos, the President’s sister, that if alleged political attacks against her (Sara) continued, she would exhume the remains of the late dictator and throw them into the sea.
Over the weekend, Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero, surprised by the vice president’s statements, said that her recent tirades against the President were “unbecoming of the second highest official of the land.”
“Sana maging mas maingat sa mga salitang binibitiwan,” he said.
(She should be circumspect in what she says.)
Earlier on Sunday, Oct. 20, two members of the Young Guns bloc in the House of Representatives urged VP Sara to go through a psychological examination after she said that she had imagined cutting off the head of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
House Assistant Majority Leader and Zambales 1st District Rep. Jefferson Khonghun said, “No decent person will think, more so make, this kind of statement.”
Echoing Khonghun’s remark, Sec. Remulla said “considering cutting off President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s head, Sara shows how extreme her thoughts have become. “Buti na lang di siya tumakbo na presidente baka nanalo pa (Good that she didn’t run and become president).”
The dead deserves respect
A priest also reminded Sara Duterte about the teachings of the church “to approach statements that involve desecration of human remains with reverence and respect.”
Father Joel Saballa of the Diocese of Novaliches said, “The Catholic Church holds that every human being, even in death, deserves respect and dignity, as their bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit and vessels of God’s creation.”
Saballa was reacting to VP Sara’s rants on Friday saying, “It is essential to remember that even individuals with whom we may have disagreements or conflicts deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, both in life and in death.”
“In times of controversy or discord, it is crucial to seek solutions through peaceful dialogue, understanding, and reconciliation, rather than through actions that promote further division or hostility,” Saballa said. (PIA DMD)
