Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has suggested killing senators in a bomb attack to make room in the chamber for his preferred opposition candidates.
His remarks, which were made during a campaign rally in Manila on Thursday night, have escalated his war of words with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ahead of the May midterm elections.
"There's many of them [senators]. So what should we do? Let's just kill the senators now so we will have more vacancies," Duterte said in a mix of Filipino and English, drawing loud cheers from the crowd.
"If we can kill about 15 senators, then we can all get into the Senate. That would be a pity though. Some of them are really annoying. But not all," he added.
Duterte then referenced the deadly 1971 bombing of a campaign rally that killed nine people and wounded several politicians, including future senators. "Talking about opportunities, the only way to do it is to use a bomb," he said.
Political Power Struggle Intensifies
The remarks come amid a heated battle over the fate of Duterte's daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, who faces impeachment. The 24-member Senate will ultimately decide her political fate, including the possibility of removal and a lifetime ban from office. With the majority of senators aligned with Marcos, the May elections could be critical for her survival.
Tensions between the Duterte and Marcos camps have been escalating since their alliance collapsed last year over allegations of public fund mismanagement. Marcos and Sara Duterte ran together in 2022, securing a historic landslide victory, but their relationship has since soured.
In November, Sara Duterte made headlines for an expletive-laden speech in which she claimed she had ordered someone to kill Marcos if she was assassinated. She also accused him of being weak and incompetent, saying she once imagined beheading him.
On Wednesday, the National Bureau of Investigation recommended filing criminal charges against the vice president over her alleged threats against Marcos.
Duterte's History of Violence and Threats
During his presidency from 2016 to 2022, Duterte was known for his violent rhetoric and a deadly war on drugs. His administration saw at least 25 mayors and vice-mayors killed, either by police or unknown gunmen. According to police figures, at least 7,000 people were killed in the drug war, though human rights groups estimate the number could be as high as 30,000. The International Criminal Court is investigating the killings.
At Thursday's rally, Duterte also revived his accusations that Marcos Jr. uses illegal drugs, even suggesting he could be "a constant user of heroin."
