Philippines VP Sara Duterte Threatens To Have President Ferdinand Marcos Jr Assassinated

The widening rift between the two most powerful political families in the Philippines became public after the Southeast Asian nation’s Vice President Sara Duterte said that she would have President Ferdinand Marcos Jr assassinated if she were to be killed. Mr Duterte is the daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte.

Now, the law and order authorities in the Philippines are “investigating” the threats made by their Vice President, and Ms Duterte could be prosecuted if evidence is found supporting her claim. 

“Duterte’s threats are now under investigation and may lead to charges,” the Presidential Communications Office said, citing the justice ministry.

“If the evidence warrants, this could lead to eventual prosecution,” Mr Marcos’ office said in a statement.

The Philippines’ security council has also taken cognisance matter and is “verifying” the alleged assassination threat. National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano said the government considers all threats to the president as “serious”, vowing to closely work with law enforcement and intelligence communities to investigate the threat and possible perpetrators.

“Any and all threats against the life of the president shall be validated and considered a matter of national security,” Mr Ano said in a statement.

VP’s Threat & Response

Addressing a press conference on Saturday morning, Ms Duterte said, “I have spoken to someone. I told them, if I am killed, go and kill BBM [Marcos], [First Lady] Liza Araneta, and [Speaker] Martin Romualdez. No joke. No joke.”

“I said, do not stop until they are dead, and the person agreed,” said added, as quoted by news agency Reuters.

Duterte’s threat stemmed from an order by lawmakers to transfer her chief-of-staff to jail for allegedly impeding its probe over the vice president’s alleged misuse of public funds.

In response to Duterte’s threat, Marcos’ presidential security command said it had tightened its protocols in guarding the Philippine leader and the national police chief had ordered an investigation.

Rife Between Philippines’s Political Families

Sara Duterte, the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, and Mr Marcos were once political partners who won an overwhelming mandate to lead the nation’s top two offices in 2022. The alliance crumbled this year over policy differences, including foreign policy and the elder Duterte’s deadly war on drugs.

Marcos’ congressional allies are separately investigating Rodrigo Duterte’s campaign which led to more than 6,000 killed in anti-drug operations and alleged corruption over Sara Duterte’s use of public funds during her tenure as education secretary. Both have denied wrongdoing.

Ms Duterte resigned from the Marcos cabinet in June while remaining vice president, signalling the collapse of a formidable political alliance that helped her and Mr Marcos, son and namesake of the late authoritarian leader, to secure their 2022 electoral victories by wide margins.

Following this, Speaker Romualdez, a cousin of Mr Marcos, slashed the vice presidential office’s budget by nearly two-thirds.

Ms Duterte’s outburst is the latest in a series of startling signs of the feud at the top of Philippine politics. In October, she accused Mr Marcos of incompetence and said she had imagined cutting the president’s head off.

Philippines’ System Of Governance

In the Philippines, the vice president is elected separately from the president and has no official duties. Many vice presidents have pursued social development activities, while some have been appointed to cabinet posts.

The country is gearing up for mid-term elections in May, seen as a litmus test of Mr Marcos’ popularity and a chance for him to consolidate power and groom a successor before his single six-year term ends in 2028.