MALACAÑANG said the impeachment court and the Quezon City Regional Trial Court (QCRTC) can deliberate simultaneously on the grave threats charges against Vice President Sara Duterte.
Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro made the remark on Thursday when asked about the move of the Department of Justice to file three counts of grave threats against Duterte before the QCRTC.
The cases stemmed from Duterte's online press briefing on November 2024 wherein she said that she hired someone to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and then-House speaker Martin Romualdez if something happens to her.
Castro said "the nature of a criminal case is different from the nature of impeachment proceedings." "The leader's fitness to lead is being assessed in impeachment proceedings — the capacity, mental health, aggressiveness, anger management. These should be assessed if you want to become a leader," she said.
"In a criminal case, this pertains [to] liability because you committed a crime. So, it's different [from impeachment proceedings]. These can be handled at the same time," Castro said.
