Philippines opens investigation into Vice President Duterte’s death threats to president

MANILA Nov. 24 (DPA/EP) –

The Philippine Department of Justice has opened an investigation into threats by Vice President Sara Duterte, who had ordered an attempt on the life of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as part of an alleged plot against him.

“The matter is now the subject of an ongoing investigation,” the Department said in a statement, adding that if there is evidence against the vice president, she may be prosecuted for her controversial comments.

The National Security Advisor, Eduardo Año, has reported that the Government takes all threats to the president as “serious” and that the issue will be treated as a matter of “national security”, as reported this Sunday by the news agency. PNA.

On the other hand, the chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), General Rommel Francisco Marbil, has ordered the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) to also investigate the statements, which have provoked a barrage of criticism from deputies of the ruling party while Duterte has tried to retract it, ensuring that it was not a real threat, but rather a concern for his life.

This comes after Duterte said he contacted an unidentified person asking him to kill Marcos, his wife, Liza Araneta, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez, in case she herself is assassinated.

Relations between the Marcos and Duterte families have worsened significantly in recent months ahead of the 2025 midterm general elections. The daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte insists she is the target of an assassination plot.