Sara Duterte, the vice-president of the Philippines, has threatened to exhume the remains of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr and throw them into the sea, in a fierce attack on her political rival, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Duterte, who previously ran on a joint ticket with Marcos Jr during the 2022 elections, where they secured a landslide victory, has since turned against him. After resigning from his cabinet in June, the two political dynasties are now locked in a power struggle ahead of the midterm elections in 2024, with both also eyeing the 2028 presidential race. The stakes are particularly high for the Dutertes, as Sara’s father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, faces a probe by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity related to his violent “war on drugs.” At a press conference on Friday, Sara Duterte unleashed her most scathing criticism of the president yet, accusing his government of steering the nation down a “road to hell” and lacking coherent policies to address inflation and food security. In a particularly graphic moment, she admitted she had once thought about decapitating Marcos. “I wanted to remove his head. I realised the relationship was already toxic,” she said, mimicking the gesture of cutting his head off with her hands, according to a report by The Guardian. Duterte revealed that she felt “used” after aligning with Marcos in the 2022 election, recalling a particular incident that made her reconsider their relationship. She described a moment where a young graduate asked Marcos for his watch as a gift. Marcos, instead of giving it to him, asked the student to repeat the question before mocking him, leaving the young man humiliated. “I wanted to remove his head,” she said again, emphasising the breakdown in their alliance. Tensions between the two have escalated following an investigation alleging Duterte's involvement in the misuse of public funds—allegations she denies. There have also been recent parliamentary hearings concerning her father’s “war on drugs,” which heard claims that Rodrigo Duterte’s office offered rewards of up to $17,000 to police officers for killing drug suspects. While Rodrigo Duterte has consistently denied authorising extrajudicial killings, he frequently made public threats of violence against drug dealers during his presidency. Though Marcos Jr has previously stated he would not cooperate with the ICC investigation into the drug war, analysts suggest he might reconsider if his political position weakens. In a fiery remark during the press conference, Sara Duterte warned that if the political attacks against her did not cease, she would take drastic action. “One of these days, I will go there. I will get the body of your father and throw it in the West Philippine Sea,” she said, referring to the part of the South China Sea claimed by the Philippines. This marks a sharp departure from the earlier cordial relations between the two families. In 2016, Rodrigo Duterte sparked controversy by allowing a hero’s burial for Marcos Sr, despite the late dictator’s legacy of alleged corruption, human rights abuses, and the plundering of an estimated $10 billion from the state. Presidential communications secretary Cesar Chavez has since confirmed that President Marcos Jr would not be responding to Sara Duterte’s remarks. (with inputs from The Guardian)
