Philippine VP Sara Duterte hit with arrest warrant over alleged death threat against Marcos

A Philippine court issued an arrest warrant for Vice President Sara Duterte on September 4, alleging she made a death threat against President Ferdinand Marcos, his wife, and a former congressman cousin. The charge stems from a late-night news briefing where Duterte claimed she hired a hitman to kill the three if she were to be the first to fall.

The threat is also central to her ongoing Senate impeachment trial, where a guilty verdict would result in her removal from office and a lifetime ban from politics. A criminal conviction could lead to up to six months in jail. Duterte's defense team plans to challenge the warrant and explore legal remedies, potentially seeking bail before the day's end. The warrant is unlikely to lead to Duterte's immediate arrest.