Sara Duterte arrives at QC court for grave threats arraignment

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte appeared before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court on Friday for her arraignment on three counts of grave threats.

Duterte is expected to be formally informed of the charges and asked to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty during the proceedings before Branch 98 of Quezon City RTC.

She will also be asked to enter a plea of “guilty” or “not guilty.” 

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If Duterte pleads guilty, the court may proceed toward conviction, while a not-guilty plea will lead to the trial proper.

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Should she refuse to enter a plea, the court will enter a not-guilty plea on her behalf.

READ: Sara Duterte posts bail: ‘I don’t trust the court’

Duterte’s arraignment was originally scheduled for Sept. 11, but the court deferred it to this day.

The Department of Justice filed the three grave threats charges in August over Duterte’s statements during an online press conference in November 2024, when she said she had hired a hitman to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and detained former House Speaker Martin Romualdez if she herself were killed.

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Duterte has denied the allegations.

READ: Arraignment deferred, but VP’s attacks on her ‘threat’  target resume

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On September 4, the Quezon City RTC issued an arrest warrant against Duterte for the filed charges. The vice president then posted the required bail of P120,000 for each count the following day.

The alleged threats also form part of the allegations against Duterte in her ongoing impeachment trial before the Senate./dp