Philippines Vice President Sara Duterte holds a press conference at her office in Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila, Philippines, on Oct. 18. Photo by Rolex De3laPena/EPA-EFE
Philippines Vice President Sara Duterte said Saturday if she is killed, she has contracted an assassin to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., his wife Liza Araneta-Marcos and House of Representatives Speaker Martin Romualdez.
The Presidential Security Command referred the “active threat” by the 46-year-old Duterte to the Presidential Security Command. Advertisement
“Acting on the Vice President’s clear and unequivocal statement that she had contracted an assassin to kill the President if an alleged plot against her succeeds, the Executive Secretary has referred this active threat to the Presidential Security Command for immediate proper action,” according to a statement. “Any threat to the life of the President must always be taken seriously, more so that this threat has been publicly revealed in clear and certain terms.
In a statement later Saturday, the PSC said Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin implemented tighter security measures.
“Pursuant to the directive of the Executive Secretary, the Presidential Security Command (PSC) has heightened and strengthened its security protocols. We are also closely coordinating with law enforcement agencies to detect, deter, and defend against any and all threats to the President and the First Family,” the PSC said. Advertisement
Duterte made the threat in an online news conference Friday, saying “I have talked to someone. I told him that if I am killed, he should kill [Marcos Jr.], Liza Araneta and Martin Romualdez. No joke. I already left instructions.”
Tingog Party-List Rep. Jude Acidre said: “What happened was a meltdown, plain and simple.”
Duterte has criticized Romualdez for allegedly ordering a lockdown of the House premises, which she said delayed medical response for her detained chief of staff Zuleika Lopez.
Lopez has been detained since being cited for contempt due to “undue interference” in the House probe into alleged misuse of confidential funds by Duterte. He was initially taken to the Veterans Memorial Medical Center for evaluation.
Duterte had decided to stay at the Batasang Pambansa.
Romualdez is the president’s ally and cousin.
Marcos Jr, 67, is the son of Ferdinand Marcos, who was president from 1965 to 1986.
Marcos ran with Duterte as his vice presidential running mate in the May 2022 elections and they won by a landslide.
But the two have had a falling out. She has said Marcos Jr. is unfit for office.
Her father is former President Rodrigo Duterte, who ended his six-year term in 2022. He is not allowed to run for a second term. Advertisement
In his war on drug, he saw 6,252 people killed by unknown gunmen and police operations.
Duterte, 79, wants to become mayor of Davao City again.
