Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte posts bail after arrest warrant issued
In Quezon City, Philippines, Vice President Sara Duterte posted bail after a court issued a warrant for her arrest in a case involving grave threats. As NPR World reports, the court lifted the arrest warrant after bail was posted.
Bail and the defense's position
Vice President's lawyer Paul Lawrence Lim said Duterte was fingerprinted at court, after which she posted bail of 360,000 Philippine pesos, or about $5,740. This amount relates to three counts of grave threats.
Duterte denies the charges against her. After leaving the Quezon City regional court, she showed reporters the document lifting the warrant and said her lawyers had advised her to always carry it with her. Lim said his client has no intention of hiding from justice and will use all legal means of defense.
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Basis for the charges
The charges are linked to a statement Duterte made during an online press conference in 2024. According to the source, she said that if she were killed, she would instruct a killer to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., his wife, and then-Speaker of the House of Representatives Martin Romualdez. At the time, the vice president said her words were not a joke.
Duterte later explained that she had been expressing concerns about her own safety rather than threatening the president. The case is being considered amid a political confrontation between Duterte and Marcos, who ran together in the 2022 election. In May, the House of Representatives, where Marcos' allies predominate, voted to impeach Duterte over allegations concerning the unclear origin of her wealth, the use of confidential state funds, and her statements during the online press conference. In July, the Philippine Senate began televised proceedings in the impeachment case.
If convicted, Duterte could permanently lose the right to hold public office and run in the 2028 presidential election, when Marcos' six-year term ends.
