Sara Duterte to attend arraignment in grave threats case

Vice President Sara Duterte will attend her arraignment at the Quezon City Regional Trial Court on Friday, September 11, her spokesman said on Thursday. Duterte is currently facing three counts of grave threats following her public statements against President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Arenata-Marcos, and former Speaker Martin Romualdez. Asked if she would physically attend the court proceedings, Atty. Salvador Paolo Panelo Jr. said, "Yes, as required by law." Some 300 of Duterte’s supporters are expected to show up at the arraignment, according to Inday Sara Movement Philippines founder Daniel Nobieza. The case stemmed from remarks made by Duterte in an online press conference in 2024, when she said she had talked to someone to kill the Marcos couple and Romualdez if anything happened to her. A Quezon City Regional Trial Court issued an arrest warrant against Duterte on September 4. She was able to post bail amounting to P360,000. The Department of Justice in August filed three counts of grave threats against Duterte over her remarks. Following this, Duterte filed a motion to quash on the ground of jurisdiction, arguing that she and other impeachable officers have limited procedural immunity while in office under the 1987 Constitution. The court held the oral arguments on Duterte’s motion in late August. Duterte previously said her remarks were "maliciously taken out of logical context." The vice president's alleged grave threats against Marcos are also the basis of one of the Articles of Impeachment against her in the ongoing trial before the Senate impeachment court. On Friday, September 4, the court issued a warrant of arrest against Duterte. She posted bail the next day. She posted bail the following day. On Monday, Duterte's lawyers filed before the Supreme Court an urgent motion to resolve her application for a temporary restraining order in the grave threats case filed against her before the Quezon City court. —NB, GMA News