Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte has threatened to assassinate the President and the House of Representatives speaker if she is killed.
The shocking statement from Duterte came as she and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. have had a bitter fallout over the last two years over major policy differences and now Duterte is escalating tensions exponentially.
Duterte's threat has been referred to the elite presidential guards force “for immediate proper action," but it remains to be seen if actions will be taken against Duterte.
President Marcos’ security has been beefed up and the government is considering the vice president's “brazenly" and "public” threat a national security issue.
Presidential security reportedly is “coordinating with law enforcement agencies to detect, deter, and defend against any and all threats to the president and the first family," to ensure that all parties threatened by the Vice President are safe.
Relations between Duterte and Marcos have been on the decline since the pair won a decisive electoral victory in 2022, ironically on a platform promoting national unity.
The pair quickly fell into infighting over how to handle China’s aggressive actions in the disputed South China Sea and Duterte ended up resigning as Marcos's education secretary and head of an anti-insurgency body in June.
Since then, Duterte has been ramping up attacks on Marcos and his allies accusing them of corruption, incompetence and politically persecuting the Duterte family.
Sara Duterte is the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, an infamous figure who became internationally recognized for his brutal crackdown on drug users and traffickers.
Marcos and his allies in the House of Representatives recently ordered the arrest of Duterte's chief of staff for allegedly hampering a congressional inquiry into the possible misuse of Duterte's budget as vice president and education secretary.
By all accounts, it appears that each side is engaged in political lawfare, much like what President-elect Donald Trump has been dealing with for years. With how bad things have gotten, Duterte is fearing for her life which has led to her threats against her enemies.
Following the arrest of her chief of staff, Duterte held a press conference where she stated, "Don’t worry about my security because I’ve talked with somebody. I said ‘if I’m killed, you’ll kill BBM, Liza Araneta and Martin Romualdez. No joke, no joke.'"
Filipino legal code contains provisions that make such statements like Duterte's possibly criminal but that remains to be seen if charges will be brought against her.
As for the international community, the situation in the Philippines remains closely watched. Some fear civil war could break out as Duterte and Marcos continue to splinter and amplify threats against each other.
Military Chief General Romeo Brawner issued a statement saying that the 160,000-member Armed Forces of the Philippines will remain uninvolved and respect democratic institutions, but there is reason to be concerned that that could change.
