Marcos, senators slam Rody kill remark

President Marcos slammed his predecessor yesterday over the latter ’s threat of killing 15 senators to ensure victory, during the campaign rally of the administration’s senatorial slate in Davao del Norte, a bailiwick of the Dutertes.

- HELEN FLORES

“You know, sometimes we see the other political parties being surprised – or maybe intimidated by you, so they say all sorts of things,” the President told his Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas senatoriables in his speech at the Carmen Municipal Plaza, an apparent swipe at former president Rodrigo Duterte.

“We heard just the other day, maybe their situation is hopeless that they will resort to killing 15 senators. Well, that’s the problem for a person whose only solution to all the problems is to kill Filipinos. It is puzzling why,” he added.

“But you can also understand why. You would say: this campaign is going to be really difficult because our opponents (administration senatorial candidates) are formidable,” Marcos said.

Duterte made the controversial remark during the kickoff rally of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) senatorial slate held at Club Filipino, San Juan City Thursday night.

He proposed resorting to murder so that his pick for senators under the PDP-Laban – reelectionist senators Ronald dela Rosa and Bong Go, accused sex offender and his former spiritual adviser Apollo Quiboloy, actor Phillip Salvador, singer Jimmy Bondoc, Vic Rodriguez, Jayvee Hinlo, Raul Lambino and Rodante Marcoleta – can get in the upper chamber.

“Now there are many of them. What shall we do? Let’s just kill incumbent senators so there will be vacancies. If we can kill 15 senators, we can all get in. That would be a pity though. But they are very annoying. Not all of them,” Duterte said in Filipino, to cheers from his die-hard supporters amused by his “joke.”

“Talking of opportunities, the only way to do it is to use a bomb,” he added, stopping short of saying the Senate as an institution should be targeted.

Marcos also boasted that none of their senatorial lineup is pro-China.