Malacañang emphasized that accountability applies to all public officials after Vice President Sara Duterte’s legal team requested oral arguments from a Quezon City court regarding their motion to dismiss her pending grave threats charge.
The Palace’s response followed a formal manifestation filed by Duterte’s defense team, who cited the “far-reaching consequences” of the proceeding.
Atty. Paul Lawrence Lim, representing Duterte in the case, argued that prosecuting a sitting Vice President sets a risky precedent for other high-ranking leaders.
He warned that if an incumbent Vice President faces indictment and trial, “then other incumbent impeachable officers such as the Ombudsman, members of the Constitutional Commissions, Supreme Court justices, and even the President, may also be indicted and prosecuted.”
Communications Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro dismissed the defense’s position, characterizing the legal argument as an indirect “threat” aimed at President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., while calling on the Vice President’s camp to abandon their political tactics.
”Are they issuing yet another threat? It appears to be the same narrative,” Castro said.
”However, we must remember that no one is above the law. Anyone who violates the law or abuses their authority must face the consequences of their actions,” she added.
Castro further pointed out that constitutional mechanics remain available for high-ranking officials if warranted.
”In fact, any impeachable official may be impeached provided there are valid grounds, rather than cases built on fabricated evidence and paid false witnesses,” she said.
The legal battle stems from remarks made during a livestreamed press briefing on November 23, 2024, in which Duterte stated she had instructed an assassin to target Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez if she were to be assassinated first.