A Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC) has officially issued a warrant of arrest for Vice President Sara Duterte regarding the grave threats cases lodged against her.
Atty. Paul Lawrence Lim, the Vice President’s legal counsel for the cases stemming from a National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) probe, verified the court’s decree.
“Today, the Quezon City RTC has issued a warrant of arrest against the Vice President,” Lim said.
Legal Options to Be Pursued
Lim emphasized that despite the court order, Duterte does not plan to hide or bypass legal protocols and will actively pursue all available judicial avenues.
“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.
The defense attorney did not disclose specific details regarding the issuing RTC branch, the exact grounds leading to the order, or the official schedule for its execution.
The development transpired while the Vice President’s defense lawyers were awaiting a court ruling on their motion seeking to dismiss the criminal charges.
In a prior statement released on August 25, Lim noted that oral arguments had already been presented by both parties concerning the defense’s challenge to the court’s jurisdiction over the cases.
The defense team based its motion on the assertion that the 1987 Philippine Constitution grants “limited procedural immunity” to the Vice President alongside other impeachable public officers.
“We confirm that the Honorable Court heard the parties’ oral arguments on our Motion to Quash the Informations for lack of jurisdiction,” Lim said.
Lim added that the defense firmly maintains that officials subject to impeachment hold procedural immunity for the duration of their tenure.
However, he declined to elaborate further on the specifics of their defense, invoking the sub judice rule since the proceedings remain pending before the judiciary.
NBI Probe Origins
The ongoing criminal proceedings stem from an NBI inquiry into grave threat allegations against the Vice President.
Duterte is facing formal charges in Quezon City over alleged death threats targeted at President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
The controversy surrounding these allegations has simultaneously integrated into the broader impeachment trial currently facing the Vice President before the Senate.