Sara Duterte appears in QC court for grave threats arraignment
MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte appeared before a Quezon City court on Friday for her arraignment on three counts of grave threats.
The proceedings were scheduled for 8:30 a.m. before Branch 98 of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court.
During an arraignment, the charges are formally read to the accused, who is then asked to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty for each count. If Duterte pleads not guilty, the case will proceed to trial.
The court initially scheduled the arraignment for September 11 but deferred it after granting a motion from Duterte’s camp. The court ordered the Department of Justice (DOJ) to comment on the motion before resolving it.
Duterte’s lawyers have questioned the trial court’s jurisdiction over the case, arguing that the Constitution grants impeachable officials limited procedural immunity while in office. The court had earlier rejected her bid to dismiss the charges on jurisdictional grounds.
The DOJ filed the three counts of grave threats on August 11 over Duterte’s remarks during an online press conference in November 2024.
During the briefing, Duterte said she had spoken to someone about killing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and then House Speaker Martin Romualdez if anything happened to her.
The charges were filed under Republic Act 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act. Duterte has denied the allegations.
On September 4, the Quezon City RTC issued an arrest warrant against Duterte after finding probable cause to hold her for trial. The court set bail at P120,000 for each count.
Duterte posted bail on September 5, paying a total of P360,000 for the three charges.
The case will be heard as Duterte faces an impeachment trial before the Senate. The alleged threats against Marcos also form part of one of the Articles of Impeachment against the vice president.
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