No matter how wild things get in the United States, you can almost guarantee they will be even crazier in the Philippines.
The country’s vice president, Sara Duterte, who is the daughter of former strongman President Rodrigo Duterte, has publicly threatened to murder the president and his wife, insisting, even going so far as hiring an assassin to take care of the job.
According to Duterte, such a plan would only be activated if she herself were bumped off, something she clearly considers a real possibility.
She made the remarks during an online press conference, in which she assured her threat was “no joke.”
“Don’t worry about my security because I’ve talked with somebody. I said, ‘if I’m killed, you’ll kill BBM, Liza Araneta and Martin Romualdez, No joke, no joke.’”
The acronym BBM is a reference to President Bongbong Marcos. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Romualdez Marcos Jr. is the second child and only son of 10th president, kleptocrat and dictator Ferdinand Marcos and former first lady Imelda Marcos.
“I’ve given my order, ‘If I die, don’t stop until you’ve killed them,’” she continued. “And he said, ’yes.’”
Duterte, later tried to walk back her remarks by saying they were only intended for extraordinary circumstances.
“If I expressed the concern, they will say that’s a threat to the life of the president?” she told members of the press.
“Why would I kill him if not for revenge from the grave?” she continued. “There is no reason for me to kill him. What’s the benefit for me?”
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The southeast Asian country’s Presidential Security Command said in a statement that they were aware of the comments and had bolstered Marcos’s security detail as a precautionary measure.
“Any threat to the life of the President and the First Family, regardless of its origin—and especially one made so brazenly in public—is treated with the utmost seriousness.”
“We consider this a matter of national security and shall take all necessary measures to ensure the President’s safety,” officials added.
Meanwhile, the chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Gen. Romeo Brawner, assured that the military will “remain nonpartisan” and “loyal to the Constitution and the Chain of Command.”
“We call for calm and resolve, and for everyone to hold onto our values of respect and nationalism that will guide us in these trying times,” Brawner said.
“We reiterate our need to stand together against those who will try to break our bonds as Filipinos.”
Duterte was elected alongside Bongbong Marcos back in 2022. Duterter garnered 32,208,417 votes, while Marcos had 31,629,783 votes. Both were running on the same party.
In the Philippines, the electoral system for the positions of Vice President and President is distinct from that of the United States. Unlike the U.S., where the President and Vice President are elected together as running mates on a single ticket, Filipino voters cast separate votes for each position. This means that the President and Vice President can come from different political parties.
However, their relationship has reportedly gone south since taking office, with Duterte accusing him of incompetence and politically persecuting the Duterte family and their most fervent supporters.
Rodrigo Duterte, the former president, is also facing political persecution and is testifying before the Senate regarding his controversial war on drugs.