Palace assures Sara Duterte police won’t harm her

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Sunday assured Vice President Sara Duterte that the police would not be used to harm her, as she declared she no longer felt safe following the issuance of a warrant for her arrest on three counts of grave threats against President Marcos, first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former Speaker Martin Romualdez.

“We wish to remind everyone that this administration will not allow the police force to be used as a weapon in any form of violence,” Palace press officer Claire Castro said, quoting a statement from the Presidential Communications Office.

Philippine National Police chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. also sought to reassure the Vice President, saying the police would address her security concerns and continue monitoring threats against her and her family.

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Malacañang said the PNP was merely carrying out its mandate under the law, “without bias and without any political considerations.”

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

“They remain professional in protecting the rights of all people under their care,” it said, adding that the administration “has full confidence in the PNP leadership and its ranks.”

The Palace also urged Duterte to raise complaints about police actions through legal channels instead of making what it called “baseless allegations.”

Duterte had voiced distrust in the police, the courts and even the security team assigned to her when she appeared before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC) on Saturday to post bail.

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“I do not feel safe, I really do not feel safe. I don’t trust the court, I don’t trust the police,” she said while hesitating to enter the Quezon City Hall of Justice.

She also claimed she had felt unsafe since 2023, alleging harassment of her family by authorities she did not identify.

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No verified threat

Nartatez on Sunday said the PNP stood ready to protect every Filipino “fairly and professionally.”

“Rebuilding trust is a continuous process of demonstrating our integrity through our actions,” he said.

The PNP said it has not identified any verified threat against Duterte or her family. It nevertheless instructed concerned units to continue assessing the situation and urged the Vice President or her representatives to submit documents or reports on alleged threats for verification.

Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian called on authorities to take Duterte’s safety concerns seriously, saying everyone, including the Vice President, should feel safe in the country.

He urged police to investigate on their own where the alleged threat was coming from.

“Anybody, whether it is the Vice President or an ordinary person, our government should protect them from any threats,” he said in a radio interview.

Gatchalian also said the grave threats case now in court would have no effect on the impeachment trial because the two proceedings were being handled by separate tribunals.

The RTC’s finding of probable cause, he added, did not mean Duterte was already guilty. Her defense team in the impeachment trial must still present its evidence.

No double jeopardy

Lawyer Reginald Tongol, spokesperson for the Senate impeachment court, cited Article XI, Section 3, Paragraph 7 of the 1987 Constitution which “explicitly allows for an official to face an impeachment trial and a regular criminal prosecution simultaneously on entirely separate tracks.”

He said the criminal case and impeachment proceedings did not place Duterte in double jeopardy.

“Double jeopardy strictly applies to successive criminal proceedings,” Tongol said, adding that the impeachment court is a sui generis constitutional tribunal whose mandate is to determine political accountability and fitness for office, not criminal liability.

House prosecution panel spokesperson Zia Alonto Adiong called Duterte’s safety concerns “ironic,” pointing out that she had appeared in court to post bail on a grave threats case.

“How ironic [that] the reason why she was there [was to post] bail on an allegation of a grave threat. She was accused of making those threats,” Adiong said in a radio interview. “So, it seems this is the only instance we’ve seen where the person who made the threat turns out to be the victim.”

Adiong also noted that “if you look at her demeanor and the way she was speaking to her lawyers, you don’t see someone who is terrified. She remains defiant. In fact, she is even braver than the police officers.”

Still, he said any alleged threats against the Vice President should be investigated.

Mamamayang Liberal Rep. Leila de Lima, a prosecutor in Duterte’s impeachment trial, was more blunt, saying Duterte should not portray herself as a victim.

“You are not a victim. You bear responsibility,” De Lima said.

France Castro, a former ACT Teachers representative and longtime critic of the Dutertes, described the Vice President’s remarks as “pure drama” and said she was attempting to flip the narrative and portray herself as the victim.

“The irony is striking: this is the same family that once threatened political opponents, those who exposed their misdeeds, and enforced [Oplan] Tokhang and extrajudicial killings—now she claims to be the one under threat,” Castro said.

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Davao City Rep. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte expressed support for his sister by posting on social media a black and white graphic with an image of the Vice President with the message: “I am with VP Inday and I don’t feel safe.” —WITH REPORTS FROM KENNETH CHRISTIANE BASILIO, DIANNE SAMPANG, AND JOHN ERIC C. MENDOZA