MANILA – Palace Press Officer Claire Castro on Thursday said the full video in which Vice President Sara Duterte issued a “kill threat” against President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and his family may contain elements of inciting to sedition, although she stressed that the Department of Justice (DOJ) would determine the appropriate criminal charge.

Castro made the statement after the DOJ filed a grave threats complaint against Duterte based on evidence that included the publicly circulated video.

A lawyer by profession, Castro said her assessment was based on the full recording, which she claimed showed an apparent intent to sow hatred against the President and the government.

“As a lawyer, if you will watch the full video, the effect is there is this intention to sow hatred against the President, against the government. So it is not just a simple grave threats. Personally, my opinion,” she said.

Asked what offense could apply aside from grave threats, Castro replied that she saw an element of inciting to sedition, while emphasizing that she could not override the DOJ’s determination.

She also said the criminal complaint could proceed independently of Duterte’s ongoing impeachment proceedings because the two cases serve different purposes.

According to Castro, the impeachment process determines whether a public official remains fit to hold office, while a criminal case establishes an individual’s liability for an alleged crime.

“So magkaiba po siya. So puwede po siyang pagsabayin,” she said.

Duterte’s remarks are also at the center of an impeachment article alleging grave threats against Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez./PNA