Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla has brushed aside remarks by Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte calling for the “head” of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., saying the statement does not rise to the level of a credible threat.
Speaking to GMA News on Thursday, April 16, Remulla was blunt in his assessment of the mayor’s public pronouncements.
“Supot naman talaga eh, puro dakdak eh, dakdak ng dakdak,” the interior secretary said, adding that Duterte’s conduct falls short of what is expected of someone positioning himself in national politics. “If you want to lead the country, you have to be more statesman-like,” he said.
The remarks in question were delivered by Duterte at a RAGE Coalition — Reform Alliance for Good Governance and Accountability — event in San Juan City on April 12. “Okay na ‘yan. Siguro ‘yung mga anak niyo makakapag-aral sa abroad. You can eat at very nice restaurants. Tama na ‘yan. It’s okay. Isang ulo lang naman ang kailangan namin, ang ulo ni Bongbong Marcos!” Duterte said at the event.
Despite Remulla’s dismissive tone, he acknowledged that the threat environment around the presidency is a permanent reality. “There is always a credible threat against the president. It will never disappear, whether it comes from that camp or any other camp. The President is the most protected person in the Philippines,” he told GMA News when pressed on the matter.
Duterte’s combative rhetoric has a pattern. In July 2025, he publicly challenged then-Philippine National Police chief Nicholas Torre III to a boxing match. Torre accepted, converting it into a charity event — but Duterte failed to appear.
Sebastian Duterte came to the Davao mayoralty through his father’s office, having served as vice mayor before stepping into an acting capacity when Rodrigo Duterte was taken into ICC custody. The elder Duterte now faces charges of crimes against humanity of murder before the international court.
