MANILA — Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte posted ₱360,000 bail on Saturday after a Quezon City court issued an arrest warrant against her over three counts of grave threats involving President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
The Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 98 had set bail at ₱120,000 for each count, bringing the total to ₱360,000. Duterte personally appeared at the Quezon City Hall of Justice with her lawyers to post bail.
The development marks another dramatic escalation in the increasingly bitter political conflict between the Marcos and Duterte camps.
But despite the arrest warrant, Duterte has not been found guilty of the charges. The court’s action followed a finding of probable cause to proceed with the case, while Duterte continues to deny the allegations and challenge the proceedings.
Duterte says she does not feel safe
Appearing at the courthouse surrounded by police officers and supporters, Duterte said she had no intention of evading the law but expressed deep distrust of law enforcement and the courts.
She told reporters that she did not feel safe and accused authorities of harassment.
Duterte also questioned who would be held responsible if she died, saying she feared authorities could characterize her death as an accident.
Her comments added another layer of tension to a case that has already become deeply intertwined with the country’s political divisions.
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, commenting on Duterte’s remarks, said police had treated the vice president with the respect due to her position and expressed regret that the pressure surrounding her situation was affecting her perception.
What are the charges about?
The criminal case stems from remarks Duterte made during an online press conference in November 2024.
During that briefing, she said she had spoken with an individual who could be used to kill Marcos, his wife and Romualdez if she herself were killed.
Those remarks triggered a major political and legal controversy.
Duterte has denied that she made an actual criminal threat and has argued that her statements were taken out of context.
The National Bureau of Investigation subsequently investigated the matter, and prosecutors eventually filed three counts of grave threats against her.
Court finds probable cause
On Friday, Sept. 4, Judge Maria Angelica De Ramos of Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 98 rejected Duterte’s attempt to defer or recall the arrest warrant and quash the criminal information.
The court found probable cause on all three counts and ordered the warrant issued.
The Department of Justice said it respected the ruling and that the case would proceed to trial.
Probable cause is an important legal threshold, but it is not equivalent to a conviction.
As lawmakers themselves emphasized after the warrant was issued, an arrest warrant does not establish guilt. Duterte will have the opportunity to present her defenses as the criminal case moves forward.
Duterte’s lawyers are challenging the case
Duterte’s legal team has argued that the case raises questions about the jurisdiction of the regular courts while she is facing impeachment proceedings.
Her lawyers had asked the court to defer the warrant and quash the information.
The court rejected that request.
Her legal team has nevertheless said Duterte has no intention of evading the law and will continue to pursue all legal remedies available to her.
That could mean further challenges before higher courts.
The criminal case is separate from impeachment
The legal problems facing Duterte do not end with the grave-threat case.
She is also facing an impeachment trial before the Philippine Senate.
The alleged threats against Marcos, the first lady and Romualdez are among the allegations included in the impeachment proceedings.
The Senate case is constitutionally separate from the criminal prosecution in the Quezon City court.
A conviction in the impeachment proceedings could remove Duterte from office and have major consequences for her political future, including her previously announced ambitions for the 2028 presidential election.
From political allies to bitter rivals
The latest legal battle is another chapter in the dramatic collapse of the Marcos-Duterte political alliance.
Marcos and Duterte joined forces in the 2022 presidential election, with Marcos running for president and Duterte as his vice-presidential running mate.
Their alliance helped propel both families back to the centre of Philippine political power.
But relations deteriorated sharply in 2024.
The two political camps have since become fierce rivals, with disputes involving government policy, alleged misuse of public funds, impeachment and the treatment of former President Rodrigo Duterte, Sara Duterte’s father.
The conflict is now unfolding simultaneously in the courts, Congress and the political arena.
What happens next?
Posting bail means Duterte remains free while the criminal case proceeds.
The court’s finding of probable cause means prosecutors can pursue the charges at trial, while Duterte’s defense can challenge the allegations and present evidence in her favor.
The case could therefore become a lengthy legal battle.
At the same time, the vice president’s impeachment proceedings remain a potentially even bigger threat to her political career.
For Duterte, the two proceedings create separate legal risks — one criminal and one constitutional.
A pivotal moment for Philippine politics
The arrest warrant against a sitting vice president is already an extraordinary development.
The fact that it comes amid a bitter feud between two of the Philippines’ most powerful political families makes it even more consequential.
Duterte has portrayed the legal actions against her as part of a broader campaign of harassment.
The government, meanwhile, maintains that the criminal case is proceeding through the courts and that the judiciary must be allowed to perform its constitutional role.
For now, Duterte has posted bail and remains free.
But the legal battle is only beginning.
The arrest warrant may have been lifted after bail was posted — but the political confrontation that brought Duterte to the courthouse is far from over.
Accuracy & editorial note
The most important distinction for publication is that Duterte posted ₱360,000 bail for three counts of grave threats; she was not convicted. The Quezon City court found probable cause to proceed with the case and set bail at ₱120,000 per count.
The allegations concern Duterte’s 2024 remarks about having an individual kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Liza Araneta Marcos and Martin Romualdez if she were killed. Duterte disputes the characterization of those remarks as criminal threats.
The criminal case should also be kept distinct from Duterte’s Senate impeachment proceedings. They are separate processes with different legal consequences.
WWC ONE MEDIA J.M.D
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