Philippines Court Orders Arrest of VP Sara Duterte Over Assassination Threat

A Philippine court has ordered the arrest of Vice President Sara Duterte on charges that she publicly threatened to have President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and two other officials assassinated. The order, issued on Friday by the Quezon City Regional Trial Court, stems from remarks Duterte made during a 2024 online news conference.

In that address, Duterte said she had instructed an assassin to kill Marcos, his wife, and then-House Speaker Martin Romualdez if she herself were killed, as political tensions between her and the president escalated. She later clarified that she was not making a threat but expressing concern for her own safety.

Duterte's lawyer, Paul Lawrence Lim, said the vice president has no intention of evading the law and will post bail to avoid detention while the trial proceeds. She has denied the charges.

The arrest order is the latest development in a bitter political rivalry between Marcos and Duterte, who ran as allies in the 2022 elections. Their alliance, which combined the influence of two of the country's most powerful political dynasties, quickly collapsed.

The House of Representatives, dominated by Marcos allies, impeached Duterte in May over the threats and alleged financial irregularities, including unexplained wealth and misuse of confidential state funds. The Senate has since opened a televised impeachment trial. A conviction could permanently disqualify her from holding public office, derailing her reported plans to run for president in 2028.

Duterte is the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is currently detained in The Hague facing trial at the International Criminal Court over alleged crimes against humanity linked to his administration's anti-drug crackdown.

The political feud also reflects contrasting foreign-policy approaches. Marcos has deepened defence ties with the United States while confronting China's actions in the South China Sea. In contrast, Rodrigo Duterte had cultivated close relations with Beijing and Moscow. Vice President Duterte has faced criticism for not condemning Chinese attacks on Filipino vessels and fishermen in the disputed waters.