Sara Duterte skips questioning over alleged threat to kill Philippine President Marcos

The Philippine vice-president insisted her remarks were taken out of context and said she did not trust authorities

Reading Time:2 minutes

Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio attends a hearing at the House of Representatives in Quezon City, on November 25. Photo: AP

Published: 3:45pm, 11 Dec 2024Updated: 4:00pm, 11 Dec 2024

Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio failed to appear on Wednesday for questioning over a purported threat to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, choosing instead to send a letter denying an allegation she made a “grave threat” to his life.

Duterte-Carpio, an influential ally of Marcos until their acrimonious fallout earlier this year, was subpoenaed to appear before National Bureau of Investigation to explain remarks during a recent press conference, when she said she had hired a hit man to kill Marcos, his wife and the lower house speaker, in the event that she herself were killed.

The daughter of firebrand former President Rodrigo Duterte has not detailed any specific threat to her life, while Marcos has described her remarks as “reckless and troubling”.

The investigation comes as Duterte-Carpio is the subject of impeachment complaints in the lower house for alleged corruption, incompetence and amassing ill-gotten wealth while in office, which she denies.

Duterte-Carpio said she did not expect a fair investigation given what she called “biased pronouncements” from the president and a justice ministry official.

Protesters hold a rally in Quezon City calling for Duterte-Carpio’s impeachment on December 4. Photo: EPA-EFE

“We believe cases will be filed,” Duterte-Carpio told a press conference on Wednesday. “The worst case scenario we see is removal from office, impeachment, and then piled-up cases which the lawyers already told me to expect as well.”