Duterte Says Marcos Remarks on Alleged Chinese Funding Show Administration Views Her as a Threat
Key Takeaways
- •Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio said President Marcos's comments on alleged Chinese funding indicate his administration has regarded her as a security risk since 2023.
- •President Marcos said over the weekend in Singapore that allegations of Chinese entities funding a company linked to Duterte and her husband would become a national security issue if proven true.
- •Duterte cautioned that the President's framing could create economic uncertainty for Philippine businesses engaged in trade with China, one of the country's major trading partners.
- •Duterte said her legal counsel is reviewing allegations raised by former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and that she is prepared to respond formally.
- •Duterte and Marcos were running mates in the 2022 presidential election, but their political alliance has since fractured.
Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio said on Monday that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s comments on alleged Chinese funding are “concerning,” arguing that they reveal his administration has viewed her as a security risk since 2023.
“It is concerning that such a statement would come from BBM [Bongbong Marcos] because it is as if he admitted that since 2023, they have considered me a threat,” Ms. Duterte said at a media briefing, according to a transcript provided by her office.
Her remarks respond to comments the President made to reporters in Singapore over the weekend. Mr. Marcos said allegations that Chinese entities funded a company linked to Ms. Duterte and her husband would rise to a national security issue and constitute a “threat at the highest level to the republic” if proven true. Such allegations carry particular weight in the Philippine setting: Manila and Beijing have long-standing maritime disputes in the South China Sea, making claims of Chinese money in domestic politics a politically matter.
“It is alarming because he is saying that the Vice-President is a threat to the country,” Ms. Duterte said in Filipino.
She added that the President’s framing could also create broader economic uncertainty for local commercial enterprises engaged in trade with Beijing.
“This is concerning because it is like he is saying that those who do business and have trade with China are also threats to the country,” she said. Her point underscores the commercial stakes: China is a major trading partner of the Philippines, giving local businesses with China-facing operations a direct interest in how the dispute is framed and resolved.
Ms. Duterte said her legal counsel is currently reviewing allegations raised by former Senator Antonio F. Trillanes IV and that she is prepared to respond formally. She maintained that political opponents are fabricating narratives — ranging from confidential funds and corruption to illicit wealth and Chinese links — in an effort to undermine her position ahead of the 2028 national elections. The immediate markers to watch are the outcome of that review, any formal response she files, and whether either side puts forward verifiable evidence on the funding claim.
Ms. Duterte and Mr. Marcos ran on a joint ticket in the 2022 presidential election, though their alliance has since fractured.
— Erika Mae P. Sinaking, BusinessWorld
