The security council of the Philippines is set to investigate an alleged assassination threat made by Vice President Sara Duterte against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, according to an official who described the situation as a “matter of national security.”
In a strongly worded briefing yesterday morning, Ms. Duterte claimed to have spoken to an assassin, instructing them to kill Mr. Marcos, his wife, and the speaker of the Philippine House if she faced assassination herself.
National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano affirmed that the government regards all threats to the president as “serious.” He promised to collaborate closely with law enforcement and intelligence agencies to probe into the threat and identify potential perpetrators.
“Every threat against the president’s life will be validated and treated as a national security issue,” Mr. Ano stated.
“If the evidence supports it, this could lead to potential prosecution,” a representative from Mr. Marcos’ office declared.
The threat made by Ms. Duterte arose following an order from some politicians to transfer her chief-of-staff to jail for allegedly obstructing the investigation regarding the vice president’s suspected misuse of public funds.
In reaction to Ms. Duterte’s threat, Mr. Marcos’ presidential security command announced that it had reinforced its protocols for protecting the Philippine leader, and the national police chief has initiated an investigation.
Ms. Duterte, the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, and Mr. Marcos were previously political allies who achieved an overwhelming mandate to occupy the top two positions in the nation in 2022.
However, their alliance deteriorated this year due to differences in policy, including foreign policy and the former Duterte administration’s controversial war on drugs.
Mr. Marcos’ congressional allies are independently looking into the actions of Mr. Duterte that resulted in the deaths of over 6,000 individuals during anti-drug operations, as well as allegations of corruption pertaining to Ms. Duterte’s management of public funds during her time as education secretary.
Both figures have denied any wrongdoing, and Ms. Duterte stepped down from her Cabinet position in June.
