THE arraignment of Vice President Sara Duterte on grave threat charges was postponed on Friday after her lawyers asked the Quezon City Regional Trial Court to consider a motion filed by her camp.
Duterte’s lawyer, Paul Lawrence Lim, declined to disclose the nature of the motion, citing its sensitivity and respect for the court.
“I cannot say the nature of the motion. But among the things we asked for was to postpone or defer her arraignment while the judge studies the motion. The judge granted the deferment,” Lim told reporters.
Duterte arrived at the QC Hall of Justice with her brother, Rep. Paolo Duterte, and said she was simply abiding by the legal remedies pursued by her lawyers.
“All legal remedies allowed by law are what our lawyers are availing of, and I am just following them,” she said.
The vice president’s camp has separately challenged the grave threat cases before the Supreme Court, through a petition for certiorari and prohibition and subsequent motions seeking relief from the warrants. On Thursday, her lawyers also asked the Supreme Court to rule on her application for a temporary restraining order.
Duterte’s lawyers filed a motion for certiorari and prohibition on Aug. 21 challenging the information filed before the Quezon City court.
On Sept. 4, they petitioned the Supreme Court to order the recall of the warrants in the case.
The Department of Justice filed three counts of grave threat charges against Duterte on Aug. 11 in connection with remarks she made during an online press conference in 2024.
During that conference, Duterte said she had spoken to someone to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and then-House speaker Martin Romualdez if anything happened to her.
In a text message on Friday, Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla said the vice president should just focus on her many problems instead of creating “drama” by wanting to be jailed rather than post bail.
“I think she has bigger things to mind than me. I’m just doing my job stating the facts. She has an impeachment going on. Maybe her energies are better focused on real world problems,” Remulla said.
During Duterte’s appearance at the Quezon City court for her arraignment, she said the real drama was the “staged” arrest of former speaker Martin Romualdez, a cousin of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Remulla’s close friend.
“Ang totong drama kung makikita ninyo ay ’yung pag-aresto kuno kay Martin Romualdez (The real drama was how Romualdez was arrested),” Duterte said.
