The meltdown of Sara Duterte: From ‘no joke, no joke’ to ‘I do not feel safe’

Vice President Sara Duterte’s day in court came on Saturday, September 5.

Dressed in black, the second highest official arrived at the Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC) with her lawyers Michael Poa and Paul Lawrence Lim to post bail. The court ordered her arrest on September 4 for three counts of grave threats over her alleged assassination treats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and family.

Duterte took her time. She made sure her statements were heard by journalists, with her supporters standing outside the hall.

“I do not feel safe. I do not feel safe anywhere. Pumunta lang ako [rito] kasi sabi ninyo pupunta ako sa court (I only went here because you told me I needed to appear in court),” a visibly upset Duterte said.

The Vice President said she worries about her security, repeatedly claiming that she doesn’t trust authorities.

Duterte wanted to bring in people inside the court — the media covering her — while she was processing her bail. Just a few weeks ago, Duterte issued snide remarks against Filipino journalists, claiming, “Philippine journalism falls short of international standards.”

Poa and Lim explained to her that according to the court, journalists may accompany them only up to the court’s staircase. But Duterte continued expressing her qualms.

“Sino’ng nasa likod ko? Naaalala mo ba na si Ninoy Aquino, namatay sa hagdanan (Who’s behind me? Did you forget that Ninoy Aquino Jr. was assassinated while on stairs)?” said the Vice President.

Ninoy Aquino was shot in the back of the head on the tarmac of what was then called the Manila International Airport on August 21, 1983.

After a while, Duterte entered the hall to post her P360,000 bail.

After leaving the court and before entering her vehicle, Duterte hugged two crying women. The supporters were weeping due to supposed concerns about the Vice President’s safety.

Duterte then departed, leaving her lawyer to explain to the public what happened inside the court.

“Without prejudice to jurisdictional issues, the Vice President posted bail directly with the RTC Quezon City, [Branch] 98, which was the assigned weekend court. The routine bail procedure was conducted. After receiving all bail requirements, the court issued an order lifting the arrest warrant,” Duterte’s lawyers said in a statement.

No harassment, says Remulla

Duterte’s warrant was issued on a Friday. The immediate concern was whether she would be arrested for failing to post bail before the court closed.

The lawyers of the Vice President only confirmed on September 4, that a warrant had been issued, but did not disclose whether Duterte would post bail that day. Night came, and still no sighting of Duterte nor her lawyers.

Technically, the Philippine National Police could have arrested her between Friday night and Saturday morning, but it did not. Quezon City Police District chief Police Brigadier General Christopher Olazo told reporters on Friday evening that there was no instruction to arrest anyone, and the police were there at the RTC only to secure the area.

“We knew of her whereabouts the night before but we did not force the warrant of arrest,” Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla admitted to Rappler on Saturday.

And yet, Duterte insisted that she does not feel safe, claiming that she fears for her children. She said that despite going to court, the police still went to them.

But Remulla insisted that they accorded Duterte all the respect “that her position deserves.”

“It’s very unfortunate that all the pressure in her life is affecting her perception…. We have all the body cam footages of her warrants being served. We have all the body cam footages of her arrival to post bail,” said the DILG chief.

Duterte’s claims about her safety are not new. She has been claiming there are security threats against her.

Her alleged threats against Marcos and family were part of the four articles of impeachment against her at the Senate. To dispute this allegation, her impeachment lawyers said there is supposedly a serious threat against the life of Duterte and family. The threat is called “Operation Romanov,” which takes inspiration from the tragic life of the Romanovs in Russia.

But in July, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said they also looked into these alleged threats against Duterte and found none.

Bail on a weekend, no mugshot

Duterte said that her lawyers advised her to post bail to avoid detention. She made it appear that she would surely be held under police custody.

“They explained that the civilians who will see and witness my state can give me more protection, compared to staying under detention where I will be secluded and less secure,” said the Vice President in Filipino.

But her grave threats case, again, is bailable. Branch 98’s arrest warrant stated that the bail was set at P120,000 for each count. The Department of Justice (DOJ) also reiterated this on Friday.

Additionally, Duterte was also able to post bail on Saturday because courts allow bail even on weekends. The Supreme Court’s Office of the Court Administrator Circular (OCA) No. 30 series of 2023 made this possible.

There are courts assigned for night and weekend duties for bail purposes, and Duterte availed of this right.

Additionally, Duterte underwent standard court booking procedures, like taking of fingerprints, but because she surrendered to the court’s jurisdiction, she was spared a mugshot. Cops take mugshots of the accused only if they were arrested or surrendered to the police.

Lim said they submitted the Vice President’s photos to the court in lieu of mugshots. OCA Circular No. 204 series of 2022 allows this, but requires the accused’s party to submit “four sets of recently taken black and white 2×2 photographs (front, left and right profiles)…. on all copies of the corresponding bail bond to be issued or posted.”

To some human rights advocates, Duterte was not only accorded respect, she also enjoyed some privileges. Human rights lawyer Maria Sol Taule noted that some of the activists and individuals arrested during the September 21 protests last year were detained for a week “because offices during weekends are closed.”

“The photo here are lawyers, relatives and volunteer paralegals a year ago during the [September] 21 protest—no shortcuts, no special treatment. Everybody gathered to help complete all the requirements needed including bail fund,” said Taule.

‘No joke, no joke’: The origin

Nearly two years ago, on November 23, 2024, the second highest official aired alarming remarks.

In that midnight virtual press conference, Duterte said her supporters should not worry about her safety because she “talked to someone” to ensure that if she gets killed, that person would assassinate Marcos and his family members.

“’Wag kang mag-alala, ma’am, sa security ko. Kasi may kinausap na ako na tao. Sinabi ko sa kanya, ‘Kapag pinatay ako, patayin mo si BBM, si Liza Araneta, at si Martin Romualdez.’ No joke. No joke (Don’t worry about my security, ma’am, because I already talked to a person. I told him, ‘If I am killed, kill BBM, Liza Araneta, and Martin Romualdez),” Duterte said.

Few months later, in February 2025, the NBI filed grave threats and inciting to sedition complaints against Duterte over this online outburst. The House of Representatives, in May 2026, also approved the inclusion of grave threats in the articles of impeachment against the Vice President.

By August this year, in the middle of the impeachment trial, the DOJ indicted Duterte for grave threats, but dismissed the inciting to sedition complaint. It said it found enough evidence to prove that the grave threats case could not only stand trial, but also secure a conviction.

Duterte filed a motion to defer her warrant and sought oral hearings as they argued that she can’t face a criminal case because she is the Vice President, 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.

But Branch 98 denied this motion and proceeded with the issuance of the warrant.

Several legal experts, including one of the framers of the 1987 Constitution, Father Joaquin Bernas SJ, had said in the past that a sitting vice president is not immune from suit. (READ: ‘Vice President does not enjoy immunity’)

“The cases (grave threats, impeachment) can proceed simultaneously. There is no rule that says the impeachment process must be terminated before the criminal case can proceed,” constitutional lawyer Dan Gatmaytan earlier told Rappler.

For now, Duterte enjoys temporary liberty. She is set to face her arraignment in the coming days where she will be read her formal charges, and where the court will ask her to enter either a guilty or not guilty plea.

The Vice President will then have to simultaneously face her grave threats case and impeachment trial — cases which were triggered by one online midnight outburst. – Rappler.com