Arraignment deferred, but VP’s attacks on her ‘threat’ target resume
MANILA, Philippines — The arraignment of Vice President Sara Duterte in her grave threats case was postponed indefinitely, but her brief court appearance saw yet another display of her hostility toward the main target of those alleged threats, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The vice president spent about half an hour at the Quezon City Regional Trial Court’s (RTC) Branch 98, then unleashed fresh tirades against her former political ally in media interviews later.
Her lawyer, Paul Lawrence Lim, said the defense asked for the suspension and that it was allowed by the court as it “considers our motion.”
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READ: Castro on VP Sara after Marcos tirade: Is she in her right mind?
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“The motion is a bit sensitive and out of respect … to the proceedings, I can’t say the nature of the motion. But the deferment of the arraignments included there while the judge is still studying the motion,” Lim told reporters.
But he mentioned the petition filed by Duterte last month asking the Supreme Court to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) on the RTC proceedings, arguing that she enjoys immunity from suit as an incumbent impeachable official.
“The vice president follows the law even if she questions the jurisdiction of the court,” the lawyer said.
The RTC has asked the prosecution to comment on the defense motion, Lim added.
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The Department of Justice (DOJ) charged Duterte with grave threats over her November 2024 online press conference where she said she had talked to someone to have the president, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and then Speaker Martin Romualdez killed should a supposed murder plot against her succeed.
READ: Palace to Sara Duterte: Show evidence behind safety, trust concerns
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The statement is now also part of the charges in her ongoing impeachment trial in the Senate.
‘Get out of there!’
Duterte posted bail at P360,00 for the local court case on Sept. 5, but not before telling reporters that she feared for her life—hesitant to even enter the RTC building—and could not trust the court, the police and her own security team.
Facing reporters again on Friday after the postponed arraignment, Duterte said her lawyers were exhausting all legal remedies and that she was merely following their advice.
In remarks addressed to Marcos, she said: “We continue to call on the cause of the nation’s problems, named Bongbong Marcos, to pack up and leave.’’ “Resign! Get out of there! You’re such a liar! You’re abusive!” she snarled in Filipino. “He’s ungrateful to the people … to all those who trooped to the polls to install him as president. He has no shame.”
SC petition
At the DOJ, the agency’s spokesperson Polo Martinez said it “respects” the local court’s decision to postpone and “will allow the judicial process to take its course.”
In a 28-page petition for certiorari and prohibition filed by Duterte last month, the vice president asked the Supreme Court to stop her prosecution for grave threats.
Named as respondents in the petition are Judge Maria Angelica de Ramos of Quezon City RTC Branch 98, Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida, Prosecutor General Richard Fadullon and the cybercrime division of the National Bureau of Investigation.
Duterte asked the high tribunal to issue a TRO and direct the respondents to “cease and desist” from prosecuting her while she is still in office.
DOJ: She’s not immune
On Sept. 7, two days after she posted bail and in view of her upcoming arraignment, she followed it up with an urgent motion to have the petition resolved.
On Thursday, Vida stressed that DOJ prosecutors proceeded with the filing of the case against Duterte on Aug. 11 because only the President enjoys immunity from suit while in office.
“The (DOJ) has consistently maintained that under the prevailing laws and legal system in the Philippines, the only official who enjoys immunity from suit while in office is our beloved president. The vice president, in this particular regard, does not have immunity from suit,” he said at a press conference.
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The justice department chief also said it was disheartening to hear the country’s second-highest official losing trust in the courts and expressing fears for her safety. /das
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