A Philippine court ordered the arrest of Vice President Sara Duterte on Friday over charges that she publicly threatened to have President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and two other officials assassinated.
The Quezon City Regional Trial Court’s order marks the latest escalation in a political battle between Duterte and Marcos. The House of Representatives, dominated by Marcos allies, had already voted to impeach Duterte in May on the same threat allegations as well as accusations of unexplained wealth and misuse of confidential state funds. The Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, opened her televised trial in July.
A lawyer for Duterte, Paul Lawrence Lim, said she intended to post bail rather than remain in detention while contesting the case. “She has no intention of evading the law and will continue to exercise all her legal remedies,” Lim said, without giving further detail. Duterte has denied the charges.
Duterte is the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, who was arrested last year on an International Criminal Court warrant and is being held in The Hague ahead of a November 30 trial over alleged crimes against humanity tied to his administration’s deadly anti-drugs crackdown. He has denied ordering extrajudicial killings, though he repeatedly threatened suspects with death while in office.
The rift between the two camps also reflects a broader foreign-policy divide: Marcos has deepened defense ties with the United States amid rising tension with China in the South China Sea, while the elder Duterte cultivated closer relations with Beijing and Moscow. The vice president has faced criticism for declining to condemn Chinese actions against Filipino vessels in disputed waters.
A conviction could jeopardize Sara Duterte’s expected bid for the presidency in 2028, when Marcos’ term ends.
