During a Saturday press meeting, Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte made news with an explosive declaration stating that, should she die, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. would be dead. The divisive words have set off a political tempest revealing a growing conflict between two of the most powerful political families in the country.
Early in the morning, Duterte told reporters that she had allegedly told an assassin to attack Marcos, his wife Liza Araneta-Marcos, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez should her own life ever be stolen.
“I have talked to a person,” Duterte declared during her briefing full of obscenities. “I told go kill BBM [Marcos], [First Lady] Liza Araneta, and [Speaker] Martin Romualdez, should I die. Not for jokes. No kidding. He agreed when I advised not stopping until you killed them.”
The remarks were to an internet letter asking Duterte to remain careful, warning that she was in “enemy territory” while she stayed the night at the House of Representatives alongside her chief of staff. Duterte did not, however, mention any credible threats directed at her life.
Presidential Office Answers Quickly
Hours later, the Presidential Communications Office released a statement denouncing the remarks made by the Vice President and verifying that the claimed threat had been sent to the Presidential Security Group for prompt inquiry.
“Any threat to the life of the President must always be taken seriously, more so if this threat has been publicly revealed in clear, certain terms,” the statement said.
Emphasizing the seriousness of Duterte’s comments, the Executive Secretary’s office promised to carry “appropriate and immediate measures” to guarantee the President’s and his family’s protection.
Duterte’s staff has not responded to public uproar or provided clarifications despite the criticism. Her comments highlight strong differences at the highest level of Philippine politics, aggravating the already difficult rapport between the Vice President and President Marcos.
Declared Duterte during the same conference, “this country is going to hell because we are led by a person who doesn’t know how to be a president and who is a liar.”
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Tatters: A Political Alliance
The growing conflict between Duterte and Marcos signifies the fall of what was previously a solid political alliance guaranteeing their clear wins in the 2022 elections. The daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, Sara Duterte was a vital friend for Marcos’ presidential campaign. But earlier this year, Duterte’s resignation from her Cabinet post as Education Secretary in June exposed clear political discord in their relationship.
Marcos’s cousin Martin Romualdez, the House Speaker, heightened the already existing stress when the House of Representatives cut the vice presidential office budget by over two-thirds. Many have read this budget cut as a political ploy to weaken Duterte’s clout.
History of Persistent Statements
Saturday’s comments are not the first time Duterte has spoken boldly against President Marcos. She admitted to dreaming about “cutting the president’s head off” and charged him of ineptitude in October. Her remarks have highlighted the clear contrasts between the Duterte and Marcos groups, especially with relation to foreign policy and the dubious war on drugs started by her father.
As the Philippines gets ready for midterm elections in May 2025, the political conflict strikes at a pivotal point for the nation. Before the presidential contest in 2028, these elections are considered as a vital measure of Marcos’s popularity and his capacity to unite power.
The episode also brings back memories of past political violence in the Philippines, including the 1983 murder of Senator Benigno Aquino Jr., a fervent critic of the Marcos government, upon his return from political exile.
Political experts as well as the general public have sharply attacked Duterte’s remarks. Many saw the episode as a dangerous escalation in a political environment already polarizing.
Political analyst Richard Heydarian remarked, “This is unprecedented and highly alarming.” “For a seated Vice President to publicly threaten the life of the President not only destabilizes the government but also tarnishes the image of the Philippines on the international scene.”
Public opinion is still split; followers of Duterte and Marcos argue fiercely on social media. Although some Duterte supporters value her candor and anti-establishment posture, others criticize her comments as careless and unfit of a national leader.
Investigating Duterte’s comments begs issues about how this divide might impact Philippine stability and government. The conflict between the two most well-known political personalities has eclipsed urgent national problems, leaving the country to question whether more division or reconciliation is to come.
