Fears voiced by Vice President Sara Duterte that her life is in danger drew a direct response from Malacañang over the weekend, with the administration standing behind the stepped-up police presence at the Quezon City Regional Trial Court.
The court had issued an arrest warrant against the Vice President, prompting a security buildup that her camp questioned. Duterte, for her part, tied her concerns to what she described as a years-long pattern of intimidation.
“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 said in a statement.
Malacañang pushed back on any suggestion that the police were acting improperly. In a Saturday statement, the palace characterized the deployment as nothing more than the Philippine National Police doing its job.
“The PNP carries out its mandate in accordance with the law—impartially, apolitically, and solely for the benefit of every Filipino. They remain professional in upholding the rights of all individuals under their protection,” the statement, released in Filipino, read.
The administration went further, declaring it had full confidence in the national police force.
Anyone unhappy with how officers conducted themselves, the palace said, should pursue formal complaint mechanisms instead of leveling what it called baseless allegations.
Malacañang closed by restating a commitment it has made before: that under this administration, the police would not be turned into a tool of violence.
