Philippine vice president is ordered arrested for threats against the president
MANILA, Philippines —
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president → order → president
A Philippine court ordered the arrest of Vice President Sara Duterte on Friday over charges that she publicly threatened to have the president and two other people assassinated.
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president → order → charges
Duterte was already impeached by the House of Representatives in May on the same charges as well as alleged financial anomalies.
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Duterte → impeach → charges
Her troubles are part of a high-stakes political showdown pitting her against her rival, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
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troubles → pit → rival
A conviction could derail her plans to seek the presidency in 2028, when Marcos' six-year term ends.
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term → derail → 2028
A lawyer of the vice president, who has denied the charges, suggested she will post bail to avoid detention while facing trial by the Quezon City Regional Trial Court.
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she → deny → Court
"She has no intention of evading the law and will continue to exercise all her legal remedies," Paul Lawrence Lim said in a statement, without elaborating.
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Lim → have → statement
The charges stem from a threat made by Duterte in a 2024 online news conference to have Marcos, his wife and then-House of Representatives Speaker Martin Romualdez killed by an assassin if she herself was killed, as their political disputes escalated.
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disputes → stem → assassin
The vice president then warned that her threat wasn't a joke.
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threat → warn → ?
She later said she wasn't threatening Marcos but was expressing concern for her own safety.
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she → say → safety
Her remarks set off a criminal investigation and national security concerns.
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remarks → set → investigation
Marcos and Duterte were running mates in the 2022 elections in a whirlwind alliance that combined the vote-getting power of two of the country's most formidable political dynasties, but the union rapidly fell apart.
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union → combine → dynasties
Rodrigo Duterte was arrested last year on orders of the International Criminal Court and detained in The Hague, where he is scheduled to face trial over alleged crimes against humanity on Nov. 30.
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he → arrest → Nov.
The charges are in connection with brutal anti-drugs crackdowns that left thousands of mostly poor suspects dead while Duterte was in power.
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Duterte → leave → power
He has denied authorizing extrajudicial killings but repeatedly threatened suspects with death while in office.
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He → deny → office
Last May, the House of Representatives, which is dominated by Marcos' allies, voted overwhelmingly to impeach the vice president over alleged unexplained wealth, misuse of confidential state funds and her threats against Marcos, his wife and Romualdez.
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which → dominate → Marcos
The Philippine Senate, acting as an impeachment court, opened her televised trial in July.
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Senate → act → July
If convicted of the charges, Duterte may be permanently disqualified from holding public office and will prohibit her from seeking the presidency in 2028.
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Duterte → convict → 2028
Marcos and the Dutertes have contrasting geopolitical leanings.
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Marcos → have → leanings
Marcos has expanded defense engagements with the United States, his country's treaty ally, as his administration stood up to China's increasingly aggressive actions in the disputed South China Sea.
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administration → expand → Sea
Rodrigo Duterte had nurtured cozy ties with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin while threatening to sever ties with Washington.
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Duterte → nurture → Washington
The vice president has come under fire for not condemning China's assaults, including with the use of powerful water cannons, against Filipino forces and fishermen in the disputed waters.
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president → come → waters
The Aporia
