Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte made a startling declaration on Saturday, stating she would have President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assassinated if she were to be killed. This statement prompted Marcos' office to promise 'immediate proper action.' In a dramatic indication of the growing rift between the two most influential political families in the Southeast Asian nation, Duterte revealed during an early morning press conference that she had communicated with an assassin, instructing him to eliminate Marcos, his wife, and the Speaker of the Philippine House if she were to meet her demise.
'I have talked to a person. I said, if I get killed, go kill BBM (Marcos), (first lady) Liza Araneta, and (Speaker) Martin Romualdez. No joke. No joke,' Duterte said in a briefing peppered with profanity. 'I said, do not stop until you kill them and then he said yes.'
Her comments were in response to an online user urging her to stay safe, noting she was in 'enemy territory' as she spent the night at the lower chamber of Congress with her chief of staff. Duterte did not specify any alleged threats against herself.
The Presidential Communications Office issued a statement in response, stating: 'Acting on the Vice President's clear and unequivocal statement that she had contracted an assassin to kill the President if an alleged plot against her succeeds, the Executive Secretary has referred this active threat to the Presidential Security Command for immediate proper action.'
Duterte's office did not immediately comment on the presidential office's statement.
This latest outburst is part of a series of shocking signs of the ongoing feud at the highest levels of Philippine politics. In October, Duterte accused Marcos of incompetence and expressed her desire to cut the president's head off.
The two families are at odds over various issues, including foreign policy and former President Rodrigo Duterte's controversial war on drugs.
The Philippines is preparing for mid-term elections in May, which are seen as a crucial test of Marcos' popularity and an opportunity for him to consolidate power and prepare a successor before his single six-year term concludes in 2028.
Historical political violence in the Philippines includes the assassination of Benigno Aquino, a senator who vehemently opposed the rule of the elder Marcos, upon his return from political exile in 1983.
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