Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday expressed alarm over “disturbing” threats against him and vowed to uphold the law after Vice President Sara Duterte expressed that the leader would be assassinated if she was assassinated.
“If it’s that easy to plan the assassination of a president, how much more for ordinary citizens?” Mr. Marcos said in a recorded video, without naming Ms. Duterte.
“Such criminal attempts should not be ignored,” the president said, adding that he will resist such moves. “As a democratic country, we need to uphold the rule of law,” he also said.
The vice president’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte said on Saturday she hired a hitman to kill the country’s current president Ferdinand Marcos Jr. if Duterte herself dies.
“I told him, “If I am killed, kill President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr, his wife Maria Luisa and House Speaker Martin Romualdez. Don’t stop until you kill them all.” This is not a joke. I’ve already made a deal,” the vice president said.
According to media reports, this was Duterte’s reaction to plans to transfer her detained chief of staff Zuleika Lopez from the House of Representatives detention centre to a correctional facility. Duterte said the planned transfer was an “assassination attempt” by authorities.
Local TV station GMA reported that the politician’s statements are already being studied by the Presidential Security Command. The command deemed the threat a “national security issue” and said it was imposing “strict security measures.” Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero called Duterte’s words “deeply disturbing and inappropriate.”
