Philippine court orders arrest of Vice President Sara Duterte over death threats

September 4, 2026 at 11:13 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

A Philippine court issued an arrest warrant for Vice President Sara Duterte on charges of threatening to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., his wife, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez. Duterte has not been detained; her lawyers received the warrant and plan to post bail totaling 360,000 pesos. The case stems from a November 2024 online press conference where Duterte said she had contracted an assassin to kill the president and his relatives if she were killed.

Key Facts

The court set bail at 120,000 pesos per charge, totaling 360,000 pesos for the three counts.
Duterte's lawyers received the warrant and plan to post bail, allowing her to remain free during trial.
The charges stem from a November 2024 online press conference where Duterte said she had contracted an assassin to kill Marcos, his wife, and Romualdez if she were killed.
Prosecutors filed the case in court on August 11, 2026, after the National Bureau of Investigation referred it to the Justice Ministry in February 2025.

Arrest Warrant and Bail

A Philippine court issued an arrest warrant for Vice President Sara Duterte on charges of threatening to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., his wife, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez. Duterte has not been detained, according to the Associated Press. Interior Secretary said her lawyers received the warrant and plan to post bail. The court set bail at 120,000 pesos per charge, totaling 360,000 pesos for the three counts.

Origin of the Threats

The case stems from a November 2024 online press conference where Duterte said she had contracted an assassin to kill Marcos, his wife, and Romualdez if she were killed. Duterte said, "This is not a joke. I have made an agreement with him." She later said her remarks should not be taken as a threat and that she was only concerned for her own safety.

Case Timeline

The National Bureau of Investigation handled the case and referred it to the Justice Ministry in February 2025. Prosecutors filed the case in court on August 11, 2026, after preliminary investigation concluded. Marcos and Duterte ran as political allies in the 2022 election and were elected president and vice president respectively, but their relationship later soured.