Vice President Sara Duterte walked out of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court in Metro Manila on Saturday, dressed in black, after posting bail. Just a day earlier, an arrest warrant had been issued for her. The charges? That she publicly threatened to arrange the assassination of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., his wife, and the then-House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
Duterte, who denies the allegations, emerged to console her supporters. She even hugged a sobbing woman as chants of "Duterte! Duterte!" filled the air. She showed reporters a court order lifting the arrest warrant. Her lawyers advised her to keep the document close.
She also voiced concerns about her safety. She told journalists, "If possible please go with me, because I don't feel safe with all these police personnel who are harassing those at my home, harassing me since 2023. What does this administration really want to do with me?"
Her lawyer, Paul Lawrence Lim, confirmed that court staff took Duterte's fingerprints before she posted 360,000 pesos (about $5,740) in bail for three counts of grave threats. Lim stated that Duterte would fight the charges. He maintained she had no intention of evading the law and would pursue all legal remedies.
This whole drama is seen as a major part of the ongoing, high-stakes political battle between Vice President Duterte and President Marcos. If convicted, Duterte, 48, could be permanently barred from holding public office. This would put a serious damper on any presidential ambitions for the 2028 elections, when Marcos's term ends.
The root of this crisis goes back to a 2024 online news conference. Duterte allegedly warned that she would have Marcos, his wife, and then-House Speaker Martin Romualdez killed by an assassin if she herself was killed, as their political disagreements heated up. She reportedly stressed at the time that the threat was serious, not a joke.
Later, Duterte clarified that she was expressing concern for her own safety, not actually threatening the president. However, the remarks had already sparked a criminal investigation and raised national security alarms.
Things have been tense between the two. The House of Representatives, where Marcos’s allies hold a strong majority, overwhelmingly voted in May to impeach Duterte. The accusations included unexplained wealth, misuse of confidential state funds, and those online threats. Her impeachment trial in the Philippine Senate, acting as a court, began in July and was televised.
It's a political family affair, too. Marcos and Duterte were actually running mates in the 2022 elections. They formed an alliance that brought together two of the Philippines' most powerful political dynasties. Marcos is the son of the former strongman President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., who ruled the country for decades, including a period of martial law. Sara Duterte, on the other hand, is the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, Marcos's predecessor.
And speaking of her father, Rodrigo Duterte was arrested in 2025 by the International Criminal Court (ICC). He's currently detained in The Hague, Netherlands. He's set to face trial starting late November for alleged crimes against humanity. These are linked to his brutal war on drugs that left thousands, mostly poor suspects, dead. He's denied ordering extrajudicial killings but was known for his fiery rhetoric against drug suspects while in office.
Sara Duterte herself had publicly criticized the Marcos administration for handing her father over to a foreign court. This is especially since the Philippines currently doesn't recognize the ICC's jurisdiction.
The geopolitical landscape is another point of friction. President Marcos has been strengthening defense ties with the United States, a long-standing ally. This is especially as the Philippines pushes back against China's aggressive actions in the disputed South China Sea. Vice President Duterte, however, has faced criticism for not more strongly condemning China's actions. These include the use of powerful water cannons against Filipino forces and fishermen in those same disputed waters.