The Daily Star Ireland
Security measures in the Philippines have been heightened after Vice President Sara Duterte publicly stated she would have the president assassinated if she were to be killed.
Sara Duterte, daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte, revealed in an online briefing that she had arranged for an assassin to target President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., his wife Liza Araneta, and House of Representatives Speaker Martin Romualdez in the event of her death.
She declared, “I have talked to a person. I said, if I get killed, go kill BBM, Liza Araneta, and Martin Romualdez. No joke. No joke.” The 46-year-old lawyer added, “I said, do not stop until you kill them, and then he said yes.”
These comments were made in response to an online user advising her to stay safe while spending the night in the lower chamber of Congress with her chief of staff. Under Philippine law, such public threats could be considered a criminal act, punishable by imprisonment and fines.
This incident follows her previous accusations against President Marcos in October, where she labeled him as incompetent and expressed fantasies of beheading him. Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin termed her latest comments as an “active threat” and confirmed that the Presidential Security Command was instructed to take “immediate proper action.”
The government issued a statement emphasizing that any threat to the president’s life must be taken seriously, especially when publicly declared.
This clash is the latest development in the ongoing conflict between Duterte and Marcos, both members of influential political dynasties. Initially allies, they ran together in the May 2022 elections, securing landslide victories with a campaign focused on national unity. However, their relationship has since deteriorated over disagreements on various issues, including responses to China’s actions in the South China Sea.
In June, Duterte resigned from her positions as education secretary and head of an anti-insurgency body within Marcos’s cabinet. Despite this, she continues to serve as vice president, a role elected separately from the president and with no specific official duties.
