Philippine Court Issues Arrest Warrant for Vice President Sara Duterte over Threat to Assassinate President

Mentioned, "If I get killed, I instructed the Marcos couple to be assassinated"

2028 Presidential Bid at Risk if Convicted

An arrest warrant has been issued by a Philippine court for Vice President Sara Duterte, who went from being a strategic ally of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos to his rival and is now a candidate in the upcoming presidential election.

Sara Duterte, Vice President of the Philippines. Photo by Yonhap News

According to AFP and other media outlets on September 5 (local time), a Philippine court issued an arrest warrant the previous day for Vice President Duterte, who has been indicted on three counts of grave threats, and set bail at a total of 360,000 Philippine pesos (about 7.75 million won).

She is accused of instructing her security personnel to assassinate President Marcos and others if she were killed in November 2024, thereby threatening them.

At the time, Vice President Duterte stated, "If I get killed, I told them to kill BBM (the president's initials), Liza Araneta (the first lady), and Martin Romualdez (Marcos’s cousin and then speaker of the House). I'm not joking."

If convicted, she could face up to six months in prison and be removed from her post as vice president. Her plan to run in the 2028 presidential election could also be derailed.

The impeachment resolution for Vice President Duterte, which passed the House of Representatives last May, also included these charges as key allegations.

In addition to the assassination threat, she faces accusations of misappropriating public funds during her tenure as both vice president and education minister.

The Senate, which received the articles of impeachment, is currently conducting the final impeachment trial. If more than two-thirds of the 24 senators vote in favor, Vice President Duterte will be removed from office and permanently barred from holding any public post.

Foreign media have reported that the chances of Vice President Duterte actually being detained as a result of the warrant are low. She is likely to apply for bail and may also file an objection to contest the validity of the warrant at a higher court.

Her legal team issued a statement saying, "She has no intention of evading the law and will continue to exercise all legal remedies available."

In the 2022 presidential election, Vice President Duterte—daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte—was elected alongside President Marcos as his running mate. The Marcos and Duterte families forged a powerful political alliance.

However, unlike former president Duterte who was pro-China, the Marcos administration has taken a pro-U.S. stance and directly confronted China over the South China Sea sovereignty dispute. The two sides have since become rivals, continuing to clash over issues such as constitutional reform and problems in the southern island of Mindanao.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.