Brutal power struggle

Philippines: President threatened with murder by vice president

Vice President Sara Duterte is now under investigation.(Bild: APA/AFP/JAM STA ROSA)

A power struggle at the top of the Philippine government is now escalating completely. A few days ago, Vice President Sara Duterte threatened President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. with murder. Duterte is now being questioned by the public prosecutor's office.

Duterte wrote on Facebook that she was in contact with someone who was prepared to kill Marcos, his wife and a cousin - the Speaker of the House of Representatives - if she herself was killed. This is "no joke", she assured.

The power struggle between the two politicians is also being flaunted by demonstrators.(Bild: APA/AFP/TED ALJIBE)

The Vice President made the statements in response to online comments that she should watch out for her own safety in the House of Representatives. Previously, her chief of staff had been arrested after he failed to answer questions during a hearing on the alleged misuse of funds. The National Bureau of Investigation has summoned Duterte for Friday. There, she is to make a statement before the chief investigator.

The police have also launched a manhunt for the killer whom Duterte allegedly contacted. The politician, however, emphasized that her statements had been "torn out of their logical context". 

Alliance of convenience has become "toxic"
Both the president and his vice president are offspring of the two most influential political families in the island state. A political alliance between Duterte and Marcos Jr. helped them both to victory in the 2022 election. However, before the mid-term elections, in which the Filipinos elect new members of the House of Representatives, among other things, there was a rift. In October, Duterte spoke of a now "toxic" relationship with Marcos Jr. and expressed fantasies of violence: "I imagine myself cutting off his head."