The assassination threat came after the House of Representatives decided to detain VP Sara Duterte’s Chief of Staff Zuleika Lopez. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has received an assassination threat from none other than his own deputy. The East Asian country’s Vice President Sara Duterte said that she already has an assassin in place for the President, his wife and the Speaker of the House of Representatives if she is somehow herself killed. Duterte warned that it shouldn’t be taken as a joke.
“Don’t worry about my security because I’ve talked with somebody. I said, ‘If I’m killed, you’ll kill BBM, Liza Araneta and Martin Romualdez. No joke, no joke,’” the Vice President said, “I’ve given my order, ‘If I die, don’t stop until you’ve killed them.’ And he said, ‘Yes,’” Duterte added.
What caused it?
Though Marcos and Duterte ran together in the May 2022 elections, they soon fell out over different approaches to policies on China and the South China Sea. She resigned from the Cabinet, where she held the post of Education Secretary. The daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte became a vocal critic of the President and his administration, accusing them of incompetence and corruption. Accusations have also been made that the President is persecuting the Duterte family.
The assassination threat came after the House of Representatives decided to detain Duterte’s Chief of Staff Zuleika Lopez. Lopez was accused of obstruction in a congressional inquiry into the alleged misuse of power by the Vice President. She was later transferred to a hospital after falling ill.
The Presidential Security Command has boosted Marcos’ security and said that the threat was being perceived as a ‘national security issue.’ It remains to be seen what action will be taken by the President against his own deputy.
Under the Philippine Penal Code, such public remarks may constitute a crime of threatening to inflict a wrong on a person or his family and are punishable by a jail term and fine.
