VP Duterte’s camp to post bail ‘ASAP’ amid issuance of arrest warrant, says Remulla

“Their lawyers confirmed that they received the warrant and they intend to post bail ASAP,” Remulla said when asked whether the Philippine National Police (PNP) was ready to enforce the warrant.

Earlier in the day, the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 98 issued an arrest warrant against Duterte for grave threats in relation to Section 6 of Republic Act No. 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.

The cases stemmed from Duterte’s remarks during an online briefing in November 2024, in which she said she had arranged for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and then House Speaker Martin Romualdez to be killed if she were assassinated first.

Duterte later said her remarks had been taken out of context.

The warrant, signed by Presiding Judge Maria Angelica P. De Ramos, orders law enforcement officers to arrest Duterte and bring her before the court.

The court set bail at P120,000 for each of the three counts. The warrant states that bail may be posted through corporate surety, property bond, cash deposit or recognizance under Rule 114 of the Rules of Court.

Duterte’s legal team also said she would not evade the law despite raising questions about the court’s jurisdiction.

“Today, the Quezon City RTC has issued a warrant of arrest against the Vice President. Regardless of the question on jurisdiction, she has no intention of evading the law and will continue to exercise all her legal remedies,” lawyer Paul Lawrence Lim said in a statement.

The alleged grave threat is among the articles cited in the Vice President’s ongoing Senate impeachment trial. — Martin Sadongdong