Philippine Vice President Issues Public Threat Against the President’s Life

MANILA, Philippines — In an unprecedented statement, Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte declared on Saturday that she had arranged for an assassin to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., his wife, and the House of Representatives speaker if she were to be assassinated. Duterte warned that her remarks were not intended as a joke.

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin responded to the public threat by referring the matter to the Presidential Security Command for “immediate and appropriate action.” The exact measures to be taken against the vice president remain unclear.

“The vice president has explicitly stated that she contracted an assassin to target the president if a plot against her is successful. This constitutes an active threat, and it has been referred to the Presidential Security Command,” a government statement said. “All threats against the president’s life must be treated with utmost seriousness, especially when declared so explicitly.”

Marcos and Duterte had run together in the May 2022 elections on a platform promising national unity. Despite their landslide victories, tensions between their camps quickly escalated over key policy differences, particularly regarding China’s assertive actions in the South China Sea. Duterte resigned from her roles in the Marcos administration in June, stepping down as education secretary and as head of an anti-insurgency council.

Like her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, the vice president has been outspoken in her criticism, accusing President Marcos, his wife Liza Araneta-Marcos, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez of corruption, incompetence, and political persecution of her family and allies.

The latest conflict arose after Romualdez’s allies in the House detained Duterte’s chief of staff, Zuleika Lopez, over allegations that she obstructed an investigation into the alleged misuse of Duterte’s vice presidential and education department budgets. Lopez, who later fell ill and was moved to a hospital, was reportedly distraught over plans to transfer her to a women’s detention facility.

In an emotionally charged online press conference held in the early hours of the morning, Duterte accused Marcos, his wife, and Romualdez of dishonesty and ineffectiveness, using harsh and explicit language.

When asked about her personal safety, Duterte alluded to an unspecified assassination plot against her. “I’ve already made arrangements. If I’m killed, they will kill BBM, Liza Araneta, and Martin Romualdez. This is not a joke,” she said, using the president’s initials.

Duterte further elaborated that she had instructed the hired assassin to pursue this plan in the event of her death, stating, “I’ve given my order: ‘If I die, don’t stop until you’ve killed them.’ He agreed.”

Under Philippine law, making public threats against another person can be considered a criminal act and is punishable by fines and imprisonment.

The vice president’s comments are the latest in a series of controversies involving her family. Her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, faced widespread criticism for his anti-drug campaign, which resulted in thousands of deaths. The International Criminal Court is investigating these incidents as potential crimes against humanity.

While Rodrigo Duterte has denied authorizing extrajudicial killings, he admitted last month during a Senate inquiry that he maintained a “death squad” to target criminals during his tenure as mayor of Davao City.