MANILA, Philippines – A Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC) has issued a warrant of arrest against Vice President Sara Duterte in connection with her grave threats case, her lawyer confirmed on Friday, September 4.

“Today, the Quezon City RTC has issued a warrant of arrest against the Vice President. Regardless of the question on jurisdiction, she has no intention of evading the law and will continue to exercise all her legal remedies,” said Duterte’s lawyer, Paul Lawrence Lim. 

Grave threat is a bailable offense.

Department of Justice (DOJ) spokesperson Raphael Martinez said the court set the bail at P120,000 for each count of grave threats.

Vice President Sara Duterte on Saturday, September 5, issued a statement on the warrant, saying she fears for her own safety and the safety of her kids:

“I have documented threats and harrassment since 2023. I fear for my children. I do not feel they are safe if I am with them. Umalis na nga ako kung nasaan mga anak ko para pumunta sa korte pero pumunta pa rin ang pulis.

I do not feel safe. Pakiramdam ko papatayin nila ako.”

(I left the place where my children are to go to the court but the police still came… I feel like they will kill me.)

Motion denied

In a statement, he also announced that the Quezon City RTC Branch 98 denied Duterte’s motion to defer or recall the warrants against her.

“In the same Resolution, the Court found probable cause to hold the accused for trial on all three counts of Grave Threats and ordered the issuance of a warrant of arrest,” Martinez told reporters.

“The Department respects the Court’s ruling and reaffirms its commitment to the rule of law,” he added.

In August, the justice department filed three counts of grave threats against Duterte in relation to her alleged assassination threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his wife Liza and cousin, ex-House speaker Martin Romualdez.

This followed complaints filed by the National Bureau of Investigation against Duterte after her infamous midnight press conference on November 23, 2024. She told her supporters not to worry about her safety, saying she had already “talked to someone” who would assassinate Marcos and his family if she were killed.

Duterte asserted and repeated at the time that she was not joking.

These grave threats allegations are also part of the four articles of impeachment against Duterte in her ongoing impeachment trial.

Apart from filing the motion to defer the warrant, the Vice President’s camp also sought oral hearings as they they argued that Duterte cannot face a criminal case because she is an impeachable official.

“If a sitting Vice President may be indicted and prosecuted, then other incumbent impeachable officers such as the Ombudsman, members of the Constitutional Commissions, Supreme Court Justices, and even the President, may also be indicted and prosecuted,” Lim said on August 13.

Several legal experts, including Father Joaquin Bernas, one of the framers of the 1987 Constitution, have said the country’s second-in-command is not immune from suit, unlike the president.

So did the court decision settle this dispute?

“The Court denied the ‘Motion to Defer the Issuance of or Recall Arrest Warrant and Quash the Information’ filed by the accused [for lack of merit]. The case shall now proceed to trial,” Martinez said.

Reaction to the order for Sara’s arrest

Mamamayang Liberal Representative Leila de Lima, the former senator who was place placed behind bars by the administration of Sara’s father Rodrigo Duterte on trumped-up charges, said the criminal case against Sara was a long time coming.

“Kahit paikut-ikutin o daanin sa mga palusot, napakalinaw ng pagbabanta. Ang paglalabas ng warrant of arrest ng korte ay nangangahulugan na matapos nitong suriin ang ebidensyang nasa record, nakitaan ito ng sapat na dahilan upang litisin ang Bise Presidente,” De Lima said in a statement.

(She could turn to semantics and try to wiggle out of it, but she was clearing making a threat [against the President]. The court issued an arrest warrant because, after examing the evidence on record, it found sufficient grounds to prosecute the Vice President.)

“VP Sara may not be used to being held accountable, but now she must answer the accusations against her in a criminal court,” the congresswoman said. 

Arrest, bail on limbo

Court operations usually end at 4:30 pm, so Duterte’s representatives were expected to arrive in time for that. However, until past 7 pm, no representative of the Vice President was seen in the court.

Quezon City Police District (QCPD) chief Police Brigadier General Christopher Olazo told reporters at past 6 pm that there was no order for them to arrest anyone. He explained that Branch 98 requested their presence for additional security.

“Nag-request po ‘yong court ng security kaya lang po kami nandito (The court requested our presence; that’s the only reason we’re here),” Olazo told reporters.

QCPD assistant public information office chief Lieutenant Joemar Codilla said the court requested additional security at around 2:30 pm. The district heeded and deployed 50 personnel.

Rappler reached out to Lim to ask whether Duterte had already posted bail. The lawyer, however, said he cannot give any details at this time except for their earlier statement confirming the warrant.

An accused may post bail anytime, anywhere, and under any circumstances, depending on the court’s discretion. The court may also allow an accused to post bail even on weekends, depending on the case.

But before posting bail, can Duterte be arrested? It’s up to the police when the warrants against the Vice President would be implemented.

Earlier on Friday, Department of the Interior and Local Government chief Juanito Victor “Jonvic” Remulla only confirmed the warrant and said the Duterte camp intended to post bail as soon as possible. – Rappler.com