Vice President Sara Duterte’s legal team announced plans to challenge a judicial ruling after a Quezon City trial court rejected their request for the presiding judge to step down from her ongoing National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) grave threats cases.
Legal counsel Atty. Paul Lawrence Lim of Chua Lim & Associates confirmed receiving the official order from the Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 98 on Tuesday, September 15.
Despite the setback, the Vice President’s defense team confirmed they are evaluating next steps to contest the decision.
”The Vice President will exercise all available remedies,” Lim stated, though he did not detail the specific legal actions her defense plan will take.
Alongside the ruling on the judge’s inhibition, the court issued a separate directive ordering both parties to adhere strictly to the sub judice rule, which prohibits public debate or comments regarding the merits of active court proceedings.
Lim confirmed that Duterte’s camp intends to abide fully by the gag order.
”We will continue to comply, consistent with the Vice President’s respect for the rule of law,” Lim said.
Refraining from discussing the substance of the NBI cases in deference to the judicial order, the legal team reiterated that they will pursue all authorized court avenues while maintaining silence on the pending litigation.