A Philippine court on Friday issued an arrest warrant for Vice President Sara Duterte, charging her with threatening to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the first lady, and a former House speaker.
The arrest marks the latest escalation in a bitter, yearslong rivalry between Ms. Duterte and Mr. Marcos, former allies and members of prominent Philippine political families.
The charges originate from a late-night news conference nearly two years ago, during which Ms. Duterte, while under corruption investigation, claimed she had orchestrated the assassination of Mr. Marcos, his wife Liza, and Martin Romualdez, the president’s cousin and then-speaker, should she be killed.
This was not Ms. Duterte’s first threat against Mr. Marcos; weeks earlier, she had threatened to behead him. The remarks prompted the president to reference “criminal intent” without naming his vice president.
Last month, the Department of Justice filed a criminal case against Ms. Duterte. On Friday, a Quezon City regional court issued warrants on three counts of “grave threats,” setting bail at 120,000 pesos ($1,900) per count. Ms. Duterte posted bail Saturday morning, according to her lawyer Paul Lim. Booking was briefly delayed after she refused to enter court without supporters, citing fears for her safety and a desire for witnesses.
Ms. Duterte has maintained that her comments were “maliciously taken out of logical context,” while allies argue that she enjoys immunity from criminal prosecution while in office.
“Regardless of jurisdictional questions, she has no intention of evading the law and will exhaust all legal remedies,” Mr. Lim said in a Friday statement.
Roughly five years ago, Mr. Marcos and Ms. Duterte formed an unlikely alliance that brought them to the nation’s highest offices. Their partnership quickly unraveled after the election, with both sides trading corruption accusations.
The animosity deepened last year when Mr. Marcos authorized the arrest of his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte—Ms. Duterte’s father—who now faces International Criminal Court charges of crimes against humanity over his controversial antidrug campaign.
Ms. Duterte faces additional legal challenges, including two impeachments and an ongoing Senate trial. A conviction would disqualify her from public office, yet she remains a leading contender for the 2028 presidential election.