Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte made a shocking statement on Saturday.
She suggested that if she were killed, she would order the assassination of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Duterte’s remark, made during an early morning press conference, has triggered a swift response from Marcos’ office. It has also deepened the growing divide between the two powerful political families that dominate Philippine politics.
Duterte, visibly upset during the briefing, revealed that she had spoken with an assassin, instructing him to kill Marcos, his wife, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez in the event of her death. She said, “I have talked to a person. I said, if I get killed, go kill BBM (Marcos), (first lady) Liza Araneta, and (Speaker) Martin Romualdez. No joke. No joke.” Her statement was blunt and included strong language, emphasizing that the threat was real. Duterte claimed that the assassin had agreed to carry out her instructions without hesitation.
The vice president’s comments were in response to an online message that advised her to stay safe, as she was in what the commenter described as “enemy territory.”
Duterte spent the night in Congress with her chief of staff. While not citing specific threats, she expressed frustration with Marcos, accusing him of incompetence. “This country is going to hell,” she said, “because we are led by a person who doesn’t know how to be a president and is a liar.”
The Philippines‘ security forces swiftly responded to Duterte’s threat. On Sunday, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año confirmed an investigation into the assassination claim, stressing that any threat to the president’s life is a national security issue. The Presidential Security Group also tightened security to protect Marcos.
This tense exchange highlights the escalating feud between Duterte and Marcos, two political figures who were once allies.
In 2022, both won the presidency and vice presidency in a landslide, creating a powerful political partnership. However, tensions between them began to rise this year, largely due to policy disagreements, including foreign policy stances and the controversial war on drugs led by former President Rodrigo Duterte, Sara Duterte’s father.
In June, Sara Duterte resigned from her cabinet post as Secretary of Education, though she retained her role as vice president. This move signaled the unraveling of their political alliance, which had been key to their electoral success. Relations between Duterte and Marcos worsened, particularly after Speaker Romualdez, a cousin of Marcos, significantly slashed the vice president’s office budget by nearly two-thirds.
This outburst is not the first time Duterte has publicly criticized Marcos.
In October, she accused him of being incompetent and even mentioned fantasizing about cutting off his head. Meanwhile, Marcos’ allies in Congress have been investigating the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign, which led to thousands of deaths, and allegations of corruption involving Sara Duterte’s use of public funds while she served as education secretary. Both she and her father have denied any wrongdoing.
The political climate in the Philippines is becoming increasingly volatile.
The country is gearing up for mid-term elections in May 2025, which will serve as a crucial test for Marcos’ popularity and his ability to maintain control. It will also be an opportunity for him to consolidate power and potentially prepare a successor ahead of his single six-year term ending in 2028.
This latest development echoes past political violence in the Philippines, which has seen high-profile assassinations, including that of opposition senator Benigno Aquino in 1983. Aquino, a staunch critic of the late Ferdinand Marcos, was killed as he returned from political exile, a moment that galvanized opposition to the Marcos regime.
As the feud between Sara Duterte and Ferdinand Marcos Jr. intensifies, the situation remains precarious, with the potential for further political instability in the country.