Philippines Vice President Sara Duterte charged over threat to Marcos
Prosecutors proposed 120,000 peso bail as her impeachment trial continued separately in the Senate.
The Philippines Department of Justice on Tuesday filed criminal charges against Vice President Sara Duterte over allegations of “grave threats” against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The case was filed in a Quezon City court while Duterte was still facing an impeachment trial in the Senate. It stemmed from a complaint by the National Bureau of Investigation in February 2025, after Duterte said in a late-night press conference that she had hired a hitman to target Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and Martin Romualdez if she were killed first. Duterte’s lawyer, Paul Lawrence Lim, argued the criminal case could not proceed while the impeachment was ongoing. DOJ spokesperson Polo Martinez said both proceedings could move ahead at the same time. A separate incitement to rebellion charge was dropped. If convicted, Duterte faces a prison term of one to six months.