A judge appointed under the current administration has ordered the arrest of Vice President Sara Duterte, prompting her political party to accuse Malacañang of weaponizing the courts against its critics.
The warrant, tied to a grave threats case, came from Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 98, which concluded there was enough basis to bring the vice president to trial. In its order, the court stated that after weighing the evidence and the oral arguments from both sides, it determined “there is probable cause to hold the accused for trial for the crimes charged in the Informations,” the ruling read.
PDP-Laban framed the development as another move in a broader campaign against the opposition. National spokesman Atty. Ferdinand Topacio argued that officials loyal to the administration were being installed in strategic government posts and then deployed against dissenters. He characterized the situation as “the latest assault on the legitimate political Opposition” by the Marcos administration, pointing out that the presiding judge had been named to the bench relatively recently by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
In his statement, Topacio warned of what he described as a slide toward authoritarian rule. “During these very dark times in our country’s history, where might is beginning to prevail over right, the PDP-LABAN is urging the people to maintain their support to the leaders of their choice, to resist with all their might the imposition of those whom the people have repudiated, and to stand fast against the forces of dictatorship,” he said. He closed with a rallying call: “We in the PDP-LABAN will be at the forefront of this epic battle for our democratic way of life. WE STAND WITH THE VICE-PRESIDENT! WE STAND WITH JUSTICE! STAND WITH THE FILIPINO PEOPLE!”
Presiding Judge Maria Angelica P. De Ramos fixed bail at P120,000 for each of the three grave threats counts, filed in connection with Section 6 of Republic Act No. 10175. Duterte’s legal team, which had already obtained the warrant, moved quickly toward posting bail, according to Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, who spoke Friday. Her lawyers appeared at the Quezon City Hall of Justice on Saturday, one day after the order was handed down.
The charges trace back to early August, when the Department of Justice brought three counts against Duterte over comments in which she said she had arranged for someone to kill Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and former speaker Martin Romualdez if a supposed scheme against her were carried out.
Counsel Paul Lawrence Lim signaled that the vice president intends to confront the accusations directly rather than avoid them. “Regardless of the question on jurisdiction, she has no intention of evading the law and will continue to exercise all her legal remedies,” he said.
