"This country is going to hell" Philippine vice president publicly threatens her boss with murder

The tone at the top of government is escalating in the Southeast Asian island state. Is the Vice President threatening to assassinate the President - or is she just worried about her own safety?

Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte has publicly threatened to have President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. killed if she herself is assassinated. "Don't worry about my safety," Duterte said in a statement aired on Facebook. She is in contact with someone who is ready to kill Marcos, his wife and his cousin, the speaker of the House of Representatives, if she herself is assassinated. This was "no joke", she assured him.

Duterte's statements were in response to calls in online comments to watch out for her own safety in the House of Representatives. Previously, her chief of staff had been arrested after he failed to answer questions during a hearing on the alleged misuse of funds in her office.

Duterte's "clear and unambiguous" words were taken as a serious threat against President Marcos Jr, the Office of the President announced. The statement had been forwarded to the Presidential Security Command so that appropriate measures could be taken immediately. It was unclear what measures were meant.

From political alliance to "toxic" relationship

In her insult-filled speech, Duterte also continued to lash out at the head of government: "This country is going to hell because we are being led by a person who doesn't know how to be president and who is a liar."

In the meantime, the hostility in the country's political leadership is obvious. The political alliance between Duterte and Marcos in the 2022 election had initially given both a victory by a large margin. The political rift occurred before the mid-term elections in May, in which the citizens of the Philippines elect new members of the House of Representatives, half of the Senate and officials at local level. In October, Duterte spoke of a now "toxic" relationship with Marcos and expressed fantasies of violence: "I imagine myself cutting off his head."

Marcos Jr. and Duterte are the offspring of the two most influential political families in the Southeast Asian island state. Duterte is the daughter of Marcos' predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, who is also remembered for his verbal outbursts, but above all for his crackdown on drug-related crime in the country. President Marcos Jr. is the son of the dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who died in 1989 and made a name for himself during his reign from 1965 to 1986 with murder, torture and the disappearance of political opponents.

dpa