The Philippines’ Security Council will investigate Vice President Sara Duterte’s alleged assassination threat against President Ferdinand Marcos, a senior official said Sunday, describing it as a “matter of national security.”
Duterte, in a scathing morning briefing on Saturday, said she had spoken to the killer and instructed him to kill Marcos, his wife and the speaker of the Philippine parliament if she was killed.
National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano said the government considers all threats to the president “serious,” promising to work closely with police and intelligence services to investigate threats and possible and perpetrators.
“Up to one threat to the president’s life will be confirmed and considered a matter of national security,” Ano said in a statement.
In response to Duterte’s threat, Marcos’ presidential security command said it had tightened its protocols in guarding the Philippine leader, and the national police chief ordered an investigation.
Duterte i Marcos nekoć Your political partner.
The alliance fell apart this year over policy differences, including foreign policy and former President Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly war on drugs.
Duterte, the daughter of Marcos’ predecessor, resigned from his government in June while remaining vice president, signaling the collapse of the powerful political alliance that helped her and Marcos, the son and namesake of the late authoritarian leader, secure convincing election victory in 2022.