Vice President Noli de Castro found himself in hot water Wednesday when he jokingly ordered his bodyguards to kill a reporter for asking controversial questions.

Tabloid reporter Jeffrey Tiangco said he was appalled by De Castro's reaction when he asked whether the vice president was ready to succeed President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who is embroiled in a corruption scandal.

De Castro turned to his bodyguards and said: "Can you kill this guy?"

When Tiangco later asked De Castro about the remark, the vice president answered: "I was just kidding you."

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