MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang said Friday it respects the Quezon City Regional Trial Court’s decision to issue a warrant of arrest against Vice President Sara Duterte over three counts of grave threats.
Palace Press Officer and Undersecretary Claire Castro said the administration would respect the court’s order.
“The Palace respects any decision or order issued by the court,” Castro said in a Viber message to reporters.
Duterte’s lawyer, Paul Lawrence Lim, announced Friday that Branch 98 of the Quezon City RTC had issued the arrest warrant against the vice president.
Lim said Duterte would continue to pursue her legal remedies despite questions over the court’s jurisdiction.
“Regardless of the question on jurisdiction, she has no intention of evading the law and will continue to exercise all her legal remedies,” Lim said in a statement.
The National Bureau of Investigation filed the grave threats case over Duterte’s remarks during an online press briefing on Nov. 23, 2024.
During the briefing, Duterte said she had spoken with another person and instructed that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez should be killed if someone assassinated her.
The court’s warrant covers the three grave threats charges stemming from those remarks.
