Sara Duterte posts P360,000 bail for grave threats charges

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte on Saturday posted bail for each of the three counts of grave threats filed against her at the Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 98. In total, Duterte posted a cash bond of P360,000—or P120,000 for each count of the charges against her. Duterte herself appeared before the QC RTC Branch 98, along with her lawyers Atty. Paul Lawrence Lim and Atty. Michael Poa to post bail. Her legal team submitted the necessary requirements, and the court subsequently issued an order revoking the arrest warrant. "What our vice president did today was go straight to the court, which itself issued an arrest warrant… so her requirements for bail were submitted and processed by the court itself," Lim said in a chance interview with reporters. "The court then issued an order stating that the arrest warrant has been revoked, so the vice president can finally move freely." Lim, however, clarified that Duterte continues to assert her defense when it comes to the court’s jurisdiction over impeachable officers like her. "Because we stand by the fact that like other impeachable officers, they cannot be charged while they are in office, or until their term ends, or when they are impeached," the vice president’s counsel explained. Lim maintained that posting bail is not equivalent to Duterte surrendering herself to the authority of the the RTC, stating that she was merely exercising her “right to bail.” Meanwhile, Lim said the vice president’s legal team will look into the possibility of taking legal action over the enforcement of the arrest warrant. This plan came about after Duterte said that authorities went to her family’s home, even when she herself wasn’t there—thereby, making her feel like her life was being threatened. "We don’t really know yet what course of action we will take. But that’s something we definitely have to look into," the vice president’s counsel noted.