Philippines VP Sara Duterte Posts Bail After Arrest Order In Marcos Threat Case

Philippines Vice President Sara Duterte posted bail on Saturday after a court ordered her arrest over allegations that she publicly threatened to arrange the assassination of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and two others. Duterte posted 360,000 pesos ($5,740) in bail for three counts of grave threats.

Duterte appeared at the Quezon City Regional Trial Court in Metro Manila wearing black and met supporters outside. She hugged a crying woman as supporters chanted “Duterte! Duterte!”

The vice president also showed journalists a court order lifting the arrest warrant issued on Friday. She said her lawyers had instructed her to keep a copy of the order with her.

As she walked towards her car, Duterte asked journalists to stay close to her, saying she did not feel safe around police personnel. She accused authorities of harassing people at her home and said she had faced such treatment since 2023.

“What does this administration really want to do with me?” she asked.

Her lawyer Paul Lawrence Lim said court staff took Duterte’s fingerprints before she posted bail. He said she would fight the charges and had no intention of avoiding the law.

The case comes from remarks Duterte made during an online news conference in 2024, when she said she would have Marcos, his wife and then House Speaker Martin Romualdez killed by an assassin if she herself were killed. She said at the time that the threat was not a joke. Duterte later said she was expressing fears for her own safety and was not threatening Marcos.

The criminal case is part of a wider political fight between Duterte and Marcos, who were running mates in the 2022 presidential election before their alliance collapsed. A conviction could bar Duterte from public office and hurt her chances of running for president in 2028.

Duterte is also facing an impeachment battle. In May, the House of Representatives, dominated by Marcos allies, voted overwhelmingly to impeach her over allegations involving unexplained wealth, the alleged misuse of confidential state funds and her remarks about the assassination threat. The Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, began her televised trial in July.

The political clash has split two of the Philippines’ most powerful families. Marcos is the son of former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., while Sara Duterte is the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

Rodrigo Duterte was arrested in 2025 on orders of the International Criminal Court and is being held in The Hague. He is due to face trial over alleged crimes against humanity linked to his administration’s anti-drug crackdown. He has denied authorising extrajudicial killings. Sara Duterte has strongly criticised the Marcos administration over her father’s transfer to the ICC.

The two camps have also taken different positions on foreign policy. Marcos has strengthened defence ties with the United States and taken a tougher stance against China over disputes in the South China Sea. Duterte, meanwhile, has faced criticism for not strongly condemning Chinese actions against Filipino forces and fishermen in the disputed waters.