After drawing flak, Sara Duterte fights off claims she's 'mentally unstable'

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte fired back at critics questioning her state of mind on Tuesday, October 22, and insisted her recent tirades against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. — including an admission she once wanted to cut off his head in anger — were her mere response to being hounded by political attacks for more than a year.

In yet another freewheeling interview with the media on the sidelines of an event on Tuesday, October 22, Duterte took exception with those calling her "unstable" and flipped the accusation back at the president's allies in the House of Representatives who have been investigating her office's alleged misuse of funds. 

This comes after Duterte held a two-hour press conference last week where she aired her grievances against the president and recounted an incident where she said she wanted to "cut off his head" for humiliating a student who asked for his watch as a graduation gift. 

The comment did not sit well with a number of lawmakers, including Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel and Senate President Chiz Escudero, who both described Duterte's remarks as "unusual" and "unbecoming," respectively.

Duterte also recalled a conversation where she allegedly threatened Sen. Imee Marcos with exhuming the remains of the ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. to toss into the West Philippine Sea if the political attacks against her persist.

House leaders — including Assistant Majority leader Zia Alonto Adiong, the budget sponsor of the Office of the Vice President — said Duterte's statements were "pure desperation" and had hit a "new low in public discourse" and urged her to tackle the allegations about her office's budget instead.

For Duterte, the issue boils down to officials who "have never seen a politician who has nothing to lose."

"Unstable, unhinged, unbecoming, unsound mine... I'm not any of those," Duterte said in mixed English and Filipino.

"They have never seen a politician who's IDGAF (I don't give a f***). I’m not like them. People tend to say things like I'm crazy, desperate... but why would I be desperate? I'm the vice president of the Republic of the Philippines. I'm not going anywhere. So what would I be