House prosecution panel spokesperson Atty. Benjamin Tolosa Jr. highlighted the contrasting approaches taken by Vice President Sara Duterte and former Vice President Leni Robredo when facing criminal allegations while in office.
Speaking at a recent news forum, Tolosa noted that Robredo confronted her previous legal challenges directly without claiming presidential immunity.
His remarks follow the issuance of an arrest warrant against Duterte by the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 98 over three counts of grave threats, for which she posted bail despite criticizing the judicial process and law enforcement.
“But maaalala din naman natin, nung kinasuhan dati ang Bise Presidenteng Leni Robredo, ang ginawa ho niya doon. Hindi siya nag-invoke ng immunity, sinagot niya ng direchuhan dahil sa paniniwala nila, if I remember correctly, ang sinasabi nung panahon na iyon, walang merito talaga ng kaso na iyan,” Tolosa said.
“Sagutin namin ng diretsyohan at napa-dismiss nila,” he added.
Robredo faced a sedition complaint tied to the “Ang Totoong Narcolist” videos during her tenure, which the Department of Justice ultimately dismissed for lack of probable cause.
Former Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra confirmed at the time that the case was dropped due to insufficient evidence rather than any executive immunity.
Tolosa underscored that while the 1987 Constitution explicitly guarantees immunity from suit to the President, whether such privilege extends to the Vice President remains an unsettled constitutional issue left to judicial interpretation.
“Sa Constitution ang malinaw na merong immunity from suit ‘yun hong presidente. Now, kung ano ho ang magiging interpretation dyan, kung if it will extend to the vice president or not, we will leave it to the discretion of the judicial branch,” he explained.
Despite the comparison, Tolosa acknowledged that Duterte’s defense team retains full autonomy over their defense strategy.
“But again, at the end of the day, of course, ayaw natin pangunahan ‘yung strategy ng legal team niya, kanya-kanya naman yan, whatever they think legal strategy they should pursue, nasa kanila ho yan,” he noted.
The charges against Duterte stem from her November 23, 2024 public remarks claiming she arranged an assassin to target President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former Speaker Martin Romualdez.
While the court set bail at ₱120,000 per count, these allegations also serve as a key basis in Article IV of her separate impeachment proceedings.