Philippine VP Duterte hit with criminal charge over Marcos 'threat'

Manila, Philippines (AFP) - Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte has been charged with criminal wrongdoing for allegedly making a death threat against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The charge of grave threats was filed on Tuesday in a Quezon City courtroom by the Department of Justice. This stems from a 2025 National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) complaint filed months after a tense news briefing in which Duterte claimed he had hired an assassin to kill the president, his wife, and a former congressman cousin if Marcos Jr. were to intervene first.

Duterte's defense team argued that the case could not be pursued while she is being impeached for other charges. Defense lawyer Paul Lawrence Lim stated that as a sitting impeachable officer, Duterte may not be prosecuted for an alleged offense that is also the subject of an impeachment case. However, the Department of Justice confirmed that the case could indeed proceed simultaneously alongside the impeachment trial, as it was deemed to have met a high threshold before taking action.

Professor Dante Gatmaytan, a law professor from the University of the Philippines College of Law, told AFP that there were no legal barriers preventing the criminal case from moving forward independently of the impeachment proceedings. The charge of grave threats carries a potential jail term of between one and six months. An additional charge of inciting to sedition was dropped from the original NBI complaint.

Duterte's impeachment trial, which began in May, is currently in its 14th day. The charges against her include allegations of graft and corruption. A guilty verdict would result in her removal from office and disqualify her from any future electoral politics.