The Philippine vice president appeared to have threatened to kill the president and two other senior officials if he was killed, prompting the presidential palace and security agencies to respond, The Guardian reported.
Vice President Sara Zimmerman Duterte-Carpio, 46, made the apparent threat during a press conference Saturday at the House of Representatives in response to comments warning her that she was in enemy territory, the Guardian reported. reported. A House committee detained attorney Zuleika Lopez, President Duterte's chief of staff, in a detention center on the House grounds after citing Lopez for contempt. According to To Philippine news agency ABS-CBN News. of press conference The incident occurred as President Duterte met with a visibly tearful and distraught Lopez in custody.
'I'm talking to assassins to kill you': Philippine vice president openly threatens Prez Marcos @Mohammed11Saleh We will deliver this report
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“I talked to someone. I said, 'If I get killed, go kill BBM.' [President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr.], [First Lady] with Liza Araneta [Speaker] Martin Romualdez. “I'm not kidding. It's not a joke,'' Duterte said in an expletive-filled press conference, The Guardian reported. “I said, 'Don't stop until you kill them,' and he said, 'Yes.'
President Duterte's threat was a “clear and unambiguous statement that he has contracted with an assassin to kill the president if the plot against him is successful,” the presidential press office said. said. “[T]He reported this active threat to presidential security forces. [PSC] We will take appropriate measures immediately. ”
P.S.C. Confirmed receipt Regarding the executive order, it said it would “strengthen and strengthen our security protocols” and “work closely with law enforcement to detect, deter, and defend against all threats to the President and the First Family.” . The threat was “very brazenly made in a public place” and posed a “matter of national security,” the PSC added.
General Romeo Browner Jr., Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines called “calmness and determination” and “respect and nationalism” in “these difficult times”.
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Duterte and her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, are known for their exaggerated outbursts, which they would later retract or dismiss as complaints. According to Go to ABS-CBN News. In October, Duterte threatened to exhume the body of Bongbong Marcos' father, former dictator Ferdinand Marcos, and throw it into the sea, the Guardian reported. reported. She also added that she imagined decapitating Bongbong Marcos after he allegedly publicly humiliated a student who asked for a Marcos watch as a graduation gift. (Related: President Duterte's latest proposal for America: President Obama is the “son of AB**ch”)
According to ABS-CBN News, the Philippine House of Representatives has accused Lopez of “improper use” in an investigation into the alleged misuse of 612.5 million pesos (approximately $10.4 million) in confidential funds allocated to President Duterte's office and the Department of Education. He was cited on suspicion of “interference.”
The funds were eventually reallocated to other government agencies, including the Philippine Coast Guard. conflict It is connected to China by crossing the West Philippine Sea (also known as the South China Sea).
According to ABS-CBN News, Lopez was ordered to be transferred to a correctional facility, but he fell ill at the direction of authorities as he was getting ready for bed around 11:30 on Friday night. It is said that Duterte was reportedly present when authorities reappeared 20 minutes later to reissue the order. An ambulance arrived but was refused entry because they did not have permission. President Duterte claimed that Romualdez had sealed off the facility and delayed medical attention to Lopez.
“Martin Romualdez, you will pay for it. If she dies, you will pay. This is your fault. You are coming after me because you want to be president,” Duterte said. He is said to have said.
A Philippine National Police ambulance that was on the premises finally transported Mr. Lopez to the hospital at 3:24 a.m. facility For veterans. Authorities were later quoted as saying that Lopez had been having a panic attack but was in “fairly good condition.”
Mr. Lopez informed Mr. Duterte of his intention to resign, adding, “I want to go home to my mother.'' According to This was reported to the Philippine News Agency GMA Network. President Duterte reportedly agreed, adding, “Martin Romualdez won in that regard.” [Lopez] He has resigned. She just finishes the hearing. ”
Duterte and Bongbong Marcos reportedly fell out with the president after his landslide victory in 2022 and ahead of the 2025 midterm elections. Both dynasties appear to be embroiled in a power struggle.
