Philippine court orders arrest of VP Duterte over President Marcos threats
Warrant follows charge she threatened to have Marcos, his wife and a cousin killed by a hitman.
A Philippine court has ordered the arrest of Vice President Sara Duterte for allegedly threatening to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and two other individuals, according to prosecutors. Duterte was previously impeached by the House of Representatives in May on the same charges and for alleged financial anomalies. If convicted, her political aspirations to run for president in 2028 could be significantly impacted.
Her lawyer, Paul Lawrence Lim, stated that she intends to post bail and will pursue all legal options to avoid detention during the trial by the Quezon City Regional Trial Court. The charges stem from a 2024 online news conference where Duterte threatened to have Marcos, his wife, and then-House of Representatives Speaker Martin Romualdez killed, should she be killed herself.
Duterte later claimed that her remarks were not a genuine threat, but rather an expression of her concern for her own safety. The fallout from their escalating political disputes led to a criminal investigation and heightened national security concerns. Marcos and Duterte were election running mates in 2022, but their partnership quickly unraveled.
The vice president is the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, who was arrested last year by the International Criminal Court and is currently detained in The Hague to face trial for alleged crimes against humanity on November 30.
Written by urgent.news from Associated Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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