Philippine court issues arrest warrant for Vice President Sara Duterte over alleged threat to President Marcos
A Quezon City court issued an arrest warrant for Vice President Sara Duterte on three counts of grave threat after she allegedly threatened to have President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., his wife and a relative killed.
A court in Quezon City ordered the arrest of Vice President Sara Duterte on Friday, issuing a warrant for three counts of "grave threat" after judges denied her lawyers' request for a delay. The charges stem from statements made in November 2024 in which Duterte said she would arrange a hitman to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., his wife and his cousin, former House speaker Martin Romualdez, if she were targeted. Bail was set at roughly $1,900 for each count, and officials expect Duterte to post bail promptly.
The criminal case runs alongside an impeachment trial in the Senate, where lawmakers are considering additional accusations of corruption and unexplained wealth from her tenure as vice president and education secretary. A conviction on the threat charges could carry a maximum sentence of six months in prison, though the political ramifications could be more severe.
"She has no intention of evading the law and will continue to exercise all her legal remedies," said her attorney Paul Lawrence Lim.
A justice department spokesperson confirmed the warrant and rejected the argument that prosecution should be paused pending the impeachment proceedings. The Senate hearing, now in its ninth week, has seen Duterte deny any wrongdoing.