The Philippine military has opted to keep Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio in charge of an army reserve command despite her incendiary public remarks, even as it recently expelled a pro-Duterte lawmaker from the reserve force for politicised conduct.

Military officers and defence observers said the contrasting treatment underscores how power, political risk and legal grey zones shape how the Armed Forces of the Philippines disciplines its reservists, as the rift between the president and his vice-president widens ahead of the 2028 race.

The disparity has drawn scrutiny because Duterte-Carpio – the daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte and President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s biggest political rival – made highly controversial remarks in a November 2024 live-streamed press briefing in which she said she had spoken to a contract killer and that, if she were killed, he should target Marcos, his wife and the House speaker.

She also sharply criticised the armed forces chief for alleged corruption, comments that some civil society groups said should have disqualified her from remaining in the reserve force.By contrast, the military summarily removed Congressman Francisco Barzaga from the Army Reserve in October after he posted a photograph of himself in uniform while promoting calls for the secession of Mindanao and accusing military generals of massive corruption.

Screenshots from a video posted by Cavite congressman Francisco “Kiko” Barzaga in which he called for the secession of the island of Mindanao from the Philippines. Photo: Facebook / Congressman Kiko Barzaga

A defence and security expert said the difference in treatment was stark. “The bottom line is, the military is afraid of Sara,” the expert told This Week in Asia on condition of anonymity. “She might become president [in 2028] and she’s the type to exact payback.”