MANILA, Philippines — The arrest warrant issued against Vice President Sara Duterte over three counts of grave threats clears the way for the case to proceed to trial, a Department of Justice (DOJ) official said Friday.
DOJ spokesperson Polo Martinez said Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 98 rejected Duterte’s request to defer or recall the warrant.
“The case shall now proceed to trial,” Martinez said in a message to reporters.
Martinez said courts typically transmit arrest warrants directly to law enforcement agencies for implementation.
Duterte faces three counts of grave threats over remarks she made during an online press conference in November 2024. She said at the time that she had arranged an assassination plot targeting President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
The DOJ earlier said the offense carries a bail of P120,000 for each count.
Duterte’s lawyers, led by Paul Lawrence Lim, had asked the court to quash the complaint and prevent the issuance of an arrest warrant.
The DOJ filed the grave threats complaint in August after state prosecutors found a high quantum of proof to support the charges against Duterte.
Lim said Friday that Duterte would not evade the warrant’s enforcement.
“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.
