Philippine VP Duterte mastermind of assassination plot: justice department [Video]

The Philippines justice department on Monday labelled Vice President Sara Duterte the “mastermind” of a plot to assassinate the country’s president, giving her five days to respond to a subpoena.

Duterte is being asked to explain herself in the wake of a blistering weekend press conference where she said she had instructed that President Ferdinand Marcos be killed should an alleged plot to kill her succeed.

“The government is taking action to protect our duly elected president,” Justice Undersecretary Jesse Andres told reporters Monday.

“The premeditated plot to assassinate the president as declared by the self-confessed mastermind will now face legal consequences.”

Hours earlier, in his first public comments on the matter, Marcos vowed to “fight back” in the face of a threat he labelled “disturbing”.

The Marcos-Duterte alliance that swept to power in 2022 has collapsed spectacularly in the lead-up to next year’s mid-term elections, with both sides trading …