Sat Nov 23 16:05:10 UTC 2024: ## Philippine Vice President Threatens to Have President, Wife, and Speaker Killed
**Manila, Philippines –** Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte issued a shocking public threat on Saturday, November 23rd, 2024, stating she had hired an assassin to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., his wife Liza Araneta-Marcos, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez should she be killed herself. Duterte, in a pre-dawn online news conference, made the threat, explicitly stating “no joke.” This followed the detention of her chief of staff, Zuleika Lopez, on charges related to alleged misuse of funds. Lopez subsequently fell ill and was hospitalized.
The Vice President’s statement, delivered amidst a backdrop of escalating political tensions and bitter public disagreements with the President, has been deemed a national security issue by the Presidential Security Command, which immediately increased security for President Marcos. Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin has referred the matter to the Presidential guards for action, though the specific response remains unclear.
Duterte’s comments, laden with expletives, also included accusations of incompetence and dishonesty against President Marcos, his wife, and Speaker Romualdez. The Vice President, daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, has previously been a vocal critic of the Marcos administration, citing corruption and political persecution. The two leaders’ relationship deteriorated significantly after Duterte resigned from the Marcos cabinet in June.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines, in a statement released by General Romeo Brawner, affirmed its commitment to non-partisanship and called for calm. Under the Philippine penal code, Duterte’s public threat may constitute a crime punishable by imprisonment and fines. The incident highlights the deep political divisions within the Philippines, following the landslide victories of Marcos and Duterte in the 2022 elections.
First Piper 