Philippine president's security raised after VP death threat

Security agencies in the Philippines raised safety measures on Saturday after Vice President Sara Duterte threatened to have the country's President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assassinated.

Duterte spoke during a morning press briefing and said that she had spoken to an assassin, instructing him to kill Marcos, his wife, and the speaker of the Philippine House, if she herself were to be killed.

'Do not stop until you kill them' — Vice President Duterte's threat

"This country is going to hell because we are led by a person who doesn't know how to be a president and who is a liar," Duterte said in the profanity-laden briefing broadcast on her Facebook page before making the brazen threat.

"I have talked to a person. I said, if I get killed, go kill BBM (Marcos), (first lady) Liza Araneta, and (Speaker) Martin Romualdez. No joke. No joke," Duterte said, referring to the initials BBM which is the president's alias, Bongbong Marcus.

"I said, do not stop until you kill them, and then he said yes."

Duterte responded to an online commenter who advised her to stay safe, as she was in a risky situation. She did not mention any specific threats against her.

Duterte, daughter of the country's previous president Rodrigo Duterte, previously accused Marcos of incompetence and said she had imagined cutting the president's head off.

Duterte resigned from the Marcos cabinet in June while remaining vice president. The vice president, is elected separately from the president and has no official duties.

They are at odds over foreign policy and former President Duterte's deadly war on drugs, among others.

'Matter of national security' — Presidential Security Command

Under the Philippine Penal Code, such public remarks can be considered a crime and punishable by imprisonment and a fine.

In response to the threat, the Presidential Security Command said it had heightened and strengthened security protocols.

"We are also closely coordinating with law enforcement agencies to detect, deter and defend against any and all threats to the president and the first family," it said in a statement.

"We consider this a matter of national security and shall take all necessary measures to ensure the President's safety," the agency said.

Police Chief Rommel Francisco Marbil said he had ordered an immediate investigation, adding that "any direct or indirect threat to his life must be addressed with the highest level of urgency."

kb/lo (AP, dpa, Reuters)