FILE PHOTO: Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr attends the closing ceremony of the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits and Related Summits and Handing Over of the ASEAN Chairmanship to Malaysia, at the National Convention Centre, in Vientiane, Laos, October 11, 2024. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Friday that any impeachment complaint against his estranged vice president Sara Duterte would only distract Congress and not help people, in remarks that drew criticism from some lawmakers.

The dustup between the Philippines' top political families — the Marcos and Duterte clans — has entered the realm of major threat to the nation’s economy.

Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte on Friday failed to show up for a meeting with government investigators after being labelled the "self-confessed mastermind" of a plot to kill President Ferdinand Marcos.

Government officials were probing Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte after she said she had instructed someone to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. if she were killed. Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte on Friday failed to heed a subpoena over statements where she publicly claimed to have told someone to assassinate