I’ll dig up your dad’s bones and throw them in sea, Philippines VP tells president

Sara Duterte’s outburst forms part of a bitter feud between political dynasties

The vice-president of the Philippines has threatened to unearth the remains of the president’s father and throw his body into the South China Sea amid a bitter feud between the country’s biggest political dynasties.
In a withering press conference, Sara Duterte, the vice-president, accused her running mate, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, of leading the country down a “road to hell”, with a lack of clear policies to tackle issues, from inflation to food security.
The 46-year-old said she had even thought about cutting off the president’s head after witnessing how he spoke to a young university graduate.
In further warning to Mr Marcos relating to attacks on her family, she added: “One of these days, I will go there. I will get the body of your father and throw it in the West Philippine Sea [the Filipino name for a portion of the South China Sea].”
The pair come from two of the most powerful political dynasties in the Philippines.
Mr Marcos Jr is the son of Ferdinand Marcos, a dictator toppled in 1986, while Ms Duterte is the daughter of Rodrigo Duterte, a “strongman” figure whose six-year term as president ended in 2022.
But although they joined forces to win an election landslide two years ago, Ms Duterte resigned from the cabinet in June, amid a bitter and escalating power struggle ahead of midterm elections in May 2025.
The election – the biggest poll before the next presidential vote in 2028 – is seen as a litmus test for Mr Marcos Jr’s popularity and an opportunity for him to consolidate power and groom a successor.
Meanwhile, the vote could “serve as the end of the Dutertes’ political ambitions, or at least their relegation back into local politics”, Anthony Lawrence Borja, an associate professor at De La Salle University in Manila, told Nikkei Asia.
Mr Duterte, who had “retired” from politics, recently announced his intention to re-run as mayor of his home town Davao, while one of his sons is running as his vice-mayor and another is seeking re-election in the House of Representatives.
But there are potentially higher stakes for the family too. Mr Duterte is facing an investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over potential crimes against humanity during his bloody “war on drugs”, when thousands of people died.
He has repeatedly denied authorising any killings but his rhetoric was openly provocative.
In a recent parliamentary hearing – itself a flashpoint in dynastic relations – it was claimed that Mr Duterte paid “rewards” of up to $17,000 (£13,055) to police who killed suspected drug dealers.
In the past, Mr Marcos Jr has previously said he would not comply with the ICC investigation, but some suspect he could change this stance if his rivals are weak or public sentiment shifts.
“At its core the Philippines is a dynastic rivalry,” said Peter Mumford, the head of Eurasia Group in south-east Asia.
“The 2025 mid-term elections are intensifying this; further ahead, the families are positioning themselves for the 2028 presidential election.
“Despite all the noise, Marcos’s position is secure – it is very hard to unseat a sitting president and he seems likely to retain majority support in both chambers of Congress in the midterms.”