What Is the Assassination Threat Shaking Philippines Politics?

Tensions between the two most powerful political clans in the Philippines are at boiling point, with Vice President Sara Duterte telling President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. she would have him assassinated if someone did the same to her. The political marriage that brought the rival Marcos and Duterte dynasties to the highest government posts has been unraveling fast, threatening to reshape the political landscape ahead of midterm elections next year. What’s not clear is whether the war of words reflects the usual rough-and-tumble of Philippines politics, or a complete breakdown of trust.

Duterte and Marcos, both children of former presidents, were widely seen as contenders for the country’s top job in a 2022 election. Duterte eventually became Marcos’s running mate and the pair triumphed in the vote. Since then, they’ve not seen eye to eye on issues ranging from constitutional reform to the high-profile arrest in September of Apollo Quiboloy — a Philippines pastor who once served as a spiritual advisor to Sara Duterte’s father Rodrigo when he was president. Quiboloy is wanted by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation for the suspected sex trafficking of children and other charges. He has denied the allegations.