Overview
- A Quezon City trial court on Friday issued an arrest warrant charging Vice President Sara Duterte with three counts of grave threats, the court order said.
- The court set bail at 120,000 pesos for each count and quashed a motion to defer the warrant, a move the Justice Department confirmed.
- Prosecutors say the case stems from Duterte's November 2024 news briefing when she said she had spoken to an assassin and suggested killings could occur if she were killed; she has denied intending a threat.
- Legal experts and her lawyers say they expect bail petitions and higher-court challenges, making immediate detention unlikely as criminal proceedings continue.
- The criminal case overlaps the Senate impeachment trial that could remove and permanently disqualify her from office, a result that would imperil her declared 2028 presidential bid and deepen a split with President Marcos's allies.