Philippines' VP Sara Duterte a no

MANILA — Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte failed to appear on Dec 11 for questioning over a purported threat to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, choosing instead to send a letter denying an allegation she made a "grave threat" to his life.

Duterte, an influential ally of Marcos until their acrimonious fallout earlier in 2024, was subpoenaed to appear before National Bureau of Investigation to explain remarks during a recent press conference, when she said she had hired a hit man to kill Marcos, his wife and the House of Representatives speaker, in the event that she herself were killed.

Duterte, the daughter of firebrand former President Rodrigo Duterte, has not detailed any specific threat to her life, while Marcos has described her remarks as "reckless and troubling".

The investigation comes as Duterte is the subject of impeachment complaints in the Lower House for alleged graft, incompetence and amassing ill-gotten wealth while in office, which she has denied.

Duterte said she did not expect a fair investigation, given what she called "biased pronouncements" from the president and a Justice Ministry official.

"We believe cases will be filed," she told reporters on Dec 10. "The worst-case scenario we see is removal from office, impeachment, and then piled-up cases which the lawyers already told me to expect as well."

The relationship between Marcos and Duterte has turned hostile in recent months, a stark contrast to two years ago, when their two powerful families joined forces to sweep a presidential election.

Riding on a wave of support at the tail end of her popular father's presidency, Duterte initially led opinion polls on preferred presidential candidates, but opted to run alongside Marcos rather than against him.

Marcos has said he does not support the impeachment efforts.

Following her failure to show for questioning, NBI Director Jaime Santiago on Dec 11 read a letter to media that he said was sent by Duterte's lawyers stating she "vehemently denies having made any threat" that could be classified as a "grave threat" under the law, or a violation of the country's anti-terrorism act.

Santiago assured Duterte a fair enquiry and said the subpoena for questioning would have been an opportunity for her to elaborate on the threats against her.

"It would have been easier had (the vice-president) appeared before us," he said.

Santiago said he would leave it to Duterte to decide whether to face investigators before they conclude their probe in January.

Duterte said threats against her had not been investigated, and she was unwilling to provide information because she did not trust the authorities.

"Right now seeing they are picking out words I said and making a case out of it saying it was a threat, they should start to ask where is this coming from," she said.

She added: "I am at peace at whatever happens to me."

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