A Philippine trial court issued an arrest warrant on Friday for Vice President Sara Duterte, escalating a political feud that has shaken the country’s ruling alliance. The Quezon City Regional Trial Court acted on charges that Duterte threatened the life of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., his wife, and a senior lawmaker, according to a report from Breitbart News.
Duterte now faces three counts of issuing “grave threats” against President Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and Martin Romualdez, who served as House speaker when the alleged threats were made in November 2024. The vice president’s legal team said she would not attempt to evade the warrant, with bail set at roughly $1,900 for each count.
“Today, the Quezon City RTC has issued a warrant of arrest against the Vice President,” Duterte’s attorney, Paul Lawrency Lim, said in a statement. “Regardless of the question on jurisdiction, she has no intention of evading the law and will continue to exercise all her legal remedies.”
From allies to adversaries
The arrest warrant marks a stunning reversal for two political dynasties that swept into office together in June 2022. Duterte, the daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte, ran as the running mate of Marcos Jr., the son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. Their landslide victories were framed as a step toward healing the country’s deep political divisions, with both offering redemption narratives for their controversial families.
But the alliance fractured quickly. Marcos Jr., a pro-American leader, clashed with Duterte, who leans strongly toward China, over foreign policy, constitutional reforms, peace talks with communist rebels, and the question of independence for Mindanao, the Duterte family’s political stronghold.
The rift also turned personal. First Lady Araneta-Marcos has been openly disdainful of the Dutertes, and both families are positioning for control of the presidency after Marcos Jr. exits in 2028 due to term limits. Marcos has a proxy candidate in mind; Duterte wants to move up from vice president to the top job.
The threats that changed everything
Tensions boiled over in November 2024 during an online press conference when Duterte shocked observers by saying she had hired an assassin to kill President Marcos, his wife, and the House speaker—but only if something happened to her. Weeks earlier, she had threatened to “cut his head off” and said she told the president’s sister she would dig up the corpse of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and “throw it in the West Philippine Sea” if the younger Marcos did not stop politically attacking her.
Marcos Jr. initially brushed off the beheading and corpse-desecration remarks. But the hit-man claim was taken seriously. The national police and military tightened the president’s security, and prosecutors soon filed charges over the death threat.
Duterte tried to walk back her comments, arguing they were taken out of context. She framed them as expressions of fear for her own safety. “Why would I kill him if not for revenge from the grave?” she asked. “There is no reason for me to kill him. What’s the benefit for me?”
Impeachment and a Senate trial
The threats, combined with accusations of financial impropriety, led the House of Representatives to impeach Duterte in May 2025. She has been on trial before the Senate since July, and a conviction could permanently bar her from holding public office.
The timing of Friday’s arrest warrant came as a surprise, according to Breitbart. The court had heard oral arguments last week on a defense motion challenging its jurisdiction. Duterte’s lawyers invoked the “limited procedural immunity” of the vice-presidential office, arguing the court had no authority to prosecute her. The court’s decision to issue the warrant suggests it rejected that argument, at least for now.
Duterte’s legal team confirmed she would post bail and contest the charges in court, signaling a protracted legal battle that could shape the country’s political landscape for years.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/asia/2026/09/04/philippines-issues-arrest-warrant-for-vp-sara-duterte-for-threatening-to-kill-president-again/