House Senior Deputy Minority Leader and Mamamayang Liberal party-list Representative Leila de Lima has thrown her support behind the arrest warrant issued against Vice President Sara Duterte, pushing back against allegations from Duterte’s Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP-Laban) that the case is an attack on the political opposition.
The Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 98 issued the warrant on Friday, September 4, for three counts of grave threats, with bail set at P120,000 for each count. The court also denied Duterte’s motion to defer or recall the warrant and found probable cause to hold her for trial on all three counts. Duterte posted bail the following day, September 5, and the court lifted the warrant.
Responding to the development, De Lima said the court’s action spoke to the strength of the evidence rather than any political motive. “VP Sara’s threat speaks for itself. Kahit paikut-ikutin o daanin sa mga palusot, napakalinaw ng pagbabanta,” she said in a statement, arguing that no amount of legal maneuvering could obscure what she characterized as a clear threat.
De Lima added that the issuance of the warrant meant the court, after examining the evidence on record, found sufficient grounds to prosecute the Vice President. She was careful to note, however, that the warrant did not amount to a finding of guilt, but meant Duterte would now have to answer the accusations in a criminal proceeding. “VP Sara may not be used to being held accountable, but now she must answer the accusations against her in a criminal court,” she said.
Her stance stands in sharp contrast to that of PDP-Laban. The party denounced the warrant on Saturday, describing it as a “blatant attempt to decimate the political Opposition.” PDP-Laban national spokesperson Ferdinand Topacio accused the administration of using government agencies to target critics, saying the party would stand with the Vice President.
The charges stem from Duterte’s remarks in a November 2025 online press briefing, in which she said she had contracted someone to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and then-House Speaker Martin Romualdez should she herself be killed. The threats also form part of the allegations in Duterte’s ongoing Senate impeachment trial.
De Lima’s own history lends weight to her position: she is the former senator who was jailed under the administration of Sara’s father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, on charges widely regarded as fabricated.
