Philippine Court Orders VP Duterte's Arrest
Philippine Court Orders VP Duterte's Arrest
The News
A Philippine trial court on Friday ordered the arrest of Vice President Sara Duterte over a criminal case accusing her of making threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the first lady and a former speaker of the country's House.
The warrant covers three counts of grave threats. The court order set bail at 120,000 pesos — about $1,900 — for each count, according to Reuters.
Duterte, the daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte, has denied threatening them.
The Charges
The case stems from remarks Duterte made in November 2024, when she said she had spoken with an assassin and instructed him to kill Marcos, his wife and his cousin — at the time the speaker of the Philippine House — if she herself were killed.
Timeline
Duterte says publicly that she has spoken with an assassin and told him to kill Marcos, the first lady and Marcos's cousin, then the House speaker, if she is killed. She later denies threatening them.
Rodrigo Duterte is arrested in the Philippines and flown to The Hague to face the International Criminal Court over his deadly anti-drug crackdowns, first as mayor of Davao and later as president from 2016 to 2022. He denies the charges.
Sara Duterte is tried before the Philippine Senate sitting as an impeachment court. The alleged threats are among the allegations in the impeachment complaint against her.
A trial court issues the arrest warrant on three counts of grave threats and sets bail at 120,000 pesos per count.
Reactions
Duterte's lawyer said in a statement: "Regardless of the question on jurisdiction, she has no intention of evading the law and will continue to exercise all her legal remedies."
Duterte has denied making the threats, and has denied separate allegations that she misused public funds as vice president and earlier as education minister.
What's Next
Duterte's lawyer signaled she will keep contesting the case, including the question of which court has jurisdiction over her, rather than flee. Bail is set, at roughly $1,900 per count.
Her impeachment trial continues before the Senate. A conviction there could remove her from office and derail her run for the presidency in 2028.
Her father's trial on crimes against humanity charges is set to begin at the International Criminal Court in November.
More
The Philippines is a treaty ally of the United States, and the Marcos–Duterte feud has split the government that Washington deals with in the South China Sea. Marcos and Sara Duterte ran on the same ticket in 2022; the alliance collapsed, and the fight has since moved into the courts and the Senate.
Poll
Should Sara Duterte be removed from office?
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