VP Sara Duterte hasn't reported threats, PNP assures monitoring

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Police General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said that Vice President Sara Duterte has yet to report to the PNP any threat against her and her family. This statement came hours after Duterte said she had been receiving threats and harassment since 2023, the year she broke away from the Marcos administration. The Vice President had expressed fears for her children's safety. Nartatez assured that the PNP has taken note of the vice president's concerns and will monitor the situation. However, he reiterated, "To date, however, the Vice President has not reported to the PNP any threat to her life or to the safety of her family, including the threats she said date back to 2023." He added, "Likewise, the PNP has not monitored any verified threat against the Vice President or her family." According to Nartatez, the police also provided security for the Vice President when she posted bail, ensuring her safe arrival and departure from court. "The PNP remains open to receiving any document, report, or statement concerning the reported threats," Nartatez said. Duterte posted bail at a Quezon City court on Saturday, a day after an arrest warrant was issued against her over her grave threats case. The QC Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 98 set the bail at P120,000 per count and found probable cause to hold Duterte for trial, prompting the issuance of the warrant. Shortly before posting bail, Duterte's counsel told reporters that the Vice President did not have her mugshot taken inside the courtroom. She opted to use the stairs to and from the QC RTC-Branch 98 inside the Hall of Justice, stating she wanted to be seen by the media amid her security concerns. In a statement, Duterte said, "I have documented threats and harassment since 2023. I fear for my children. I do not feel they are safe if I am with them." She further added, "I left where my children were to go to court, but the police still came." "I do not feel safe. I feel they will kill me," the Vice President stated. Duterte did not appear before the Quezon City court on Friday, the day the warrant was issued. Additional police forces were deployed at the Hall of Justice, with police bringing in a backdrop used for taking mugshots. Policemen were also securing the area on Saturday. Prosecutors filed three counts of grave threats against the Vice President over her remarks that she hired an individual to kill President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and former speaker Martin Romualdez, should an alleged plot against her succeed. In response, Duterte filed a motion to quash, arguing for limited procedural immunity for herself and other impeachable officers while in office under the 1987 Constitution. Duterte had previously stated her remarks were "maliciously taken out of logical context." The Vice President's alleged grave threats against Marcos also form the basis of one of the Articles of Impeachment against her in the ongoing trial before the Senate impeachment court.