MANILA, Philippines – Vice President Sara Duterte voluntarily surrendered before a Quezon City court on Saturday and posted P360,000 bail a day after an arrest warrant was issued against her over three counts of grave threats.
 |
| Photo courtesy: ABS-CBN News |
Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 98 issued the warrant on Friday after finding probable cause to hold Duterte for trial on the charges.
The case stemmed from Duterte’s November 2024 remarks that she had ordered someone to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and then-Speaker Martin Romualdez if she were killed.
Bail was set at P120,000 for each count, bringing the total amount Duterte had to post to P360,000.
Her legal counsel said Duterte’s appearance before the court constituted a voluntary surrender and confirmed that the arrest warrant was lifted after she completed the required process and posted bail.
Duterte initially hesitated to enter the Quezon City Hall of Justice on Saturday morning, repeatedly expressing concern for her safety amid a police deployment at the site, before eventually proceeding inside with her lawyers.
Lawyer Michael Poa told reporters that Duterte was considered surrendered because she voluntarily appeared before the court to comply with the legal process.
Her counsel Paul Lawrence Lim said Duterte underwent the standard booking procedures for an accused person, including fingerprinting and the submission of photographs.
However, no official mugshot was taken because, according to Lim, such photographs are normally taken by police when a person is arrested.
Instead, Duterte’s camp submitted four copies each of photographs showing her from the front, left, and right sides, which the court acknowledged in its order lifting the warrant.
Duterte had earlier sought to quash the charges, arguing that impeachable officials have limited procedural immunity while in office under the 1987 Constitution.
After hearing oral arguments in August, the court rejected the challenge and found probable cause to proceed with the grave threats case.
— The Summit Express
Start the conversation. Share your thoughts, insights, or reactions, and connect with fellow readers.