A Philippine court on Friday ordered the arrest of the country’s vice president, Sara Duterte, over charges that she threatened to have President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the first lady and a former speaker of the House of Representatives assassinated.
It was the latest turn in the acrimonious, yearslong feud between Ms. Duterte and Mr. Marcos, former allies who are scions of two Philippine political dynasties.
The charges stem from a late-night news conference Ms. Duterte gave nearly two years ago, when she was being investigated for corruption. In the speech, she said that she had made arrangements for Mr. Marcos, his wife, Liza; and Martin Romualdez, the president’s cousin and the speaker at the time, to be assassinated if she were killed.
It was not the first time Ms. Duterte had spoken of violence against Mr. Marcos — a few weeks earlier she had threatened to behead him. But it elicited a response from the president, who did not name the vice president but spoke of “criminal intent.”
Last month, the Philippine Department of Justice filed a criminal case against Ms. Duterte. On Friday, a regional court in Quezon City issued a warrant on three counts of making “grave threats.” The court set bail at 120,000 pesos, about $1,900, for each count, which Ms. Duterte posted on Saturday morning, her lawyer Paul Lim told reporters. Her booking procedures were briefly delayed after Ms. Duterte refused to enter the court without her supporters, saying that she feared for her life and wanted witnesses present.
Ms. Duterte has said her comments about Mr. Marcos and his family were “maliciously taken out of logical context.” Her allies have argued that she cannot be criminally prosecuted while she is in office.
“Regardless of the question on jurisdiction, she has no intention of evading the law and will continue to exercise all her legal remedies,” Mr. Lim said in a statement on Friday.
Around five years ago, Mr. Marcos and Ms. Duterte formed an unlikely alliance that propelled them to the two highest positions in the country. But their partnership collapsed quickly after the election, with both camps hurling accusations of corruption against the other.
The acrimony spiraled further last year, when Mr. Marcos facilitated the arrest of his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, who is Ms. Duterte’s father. He is facing charges at the International Criminal Court of crimes against humanity over his brutal antidrug campaign.
Ms. Duterte has faced other legal issues. She has been impeached twice and is currently facing trial in the Philippine Senate. A conviction would bar her from holding public office. But she remains the leading contender for president in the next election, which is scheduled for 2028.
