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Philippine court orders arrest of Vice President Sara Duterte over assassination threats

From Asharq Al-Awsat · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources In the courts
  • A Philippine court ordered Vice President Sara Duterte arrested over alleged threats to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., his wife and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
  • Duterte, who denies the charges, was already impeached by the House of Representatives over the threats and alleged financial irregularities.
  • A conviction could bar her permanently from public office and prevent her from seeking the presidency in 2028.

A Philippine court has ordered Vice President Sara Duterte arrested over accusations that she publicly threatened to have President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and two other people assassinated. Her lawyer said she would likely post bail while the case proceeds.

Duterte’s lawyer, Paul Lawrence Lim, said in a statement, “She has no intention of evading the law and will continue to exercise all her legal remedies.” Duterte denies the charges.

The case stems from remarks she made during an online news conference in 2024. Duterte said she had arranged for an assassin to kill Marcos, his wife and then-House Speaker Martin Romualdez if she herself were killed. She later said she was not threatening Marcos, but expressing concern about her own safety. Her comments prompted a criminal investigation and national security concerns.

The political dispute has split an alliance that brought Marcos and Duterte together as running mates in the 2022 election. Their partnership combined the electoral strength of two powerful political families but quickly collapsed. Duterte is the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, who was arrested last year on an International Criminal Court order and detained in The Hague. He is scheduled to face trial on Nov. 30 over alleged crimes against humanity linked to his anti-drug campaign. He has denied authorizing extrajudicial killings.

The House of Representatives, dominated by Marcos allies, voted overwhelmingly in May to impeach Sara Duterte over alleged unexplained wealth, misuse of confidential state funds and the threats against Marcos, his wife and Romualdez. The Senate opened her televised impeachment trial in July. A conviction could permanently disqualify her from public office and block a presidential bid in 2028, when Marcos’ six-year term ends.

The dispute also reflects differing foreign-policy positions. Marcos has expanded defense cooperation with the United States while confronting China’s actions in the disputed South China Sea. Rodrigo Duterte had cultivated closer ties with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

She has no intention of evading the law and will continue to exercise all her legal remedies.

· Paul Lawrence LimThe vice president’s lawyer said Duterte would not evade the case and would pursue her legal options.
About this summary

Originally published by Asharq Al-Awsat in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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