Philippine VP Duterte posts bail after arrest warrant

Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte posted bail on Saturday, September 5, after a trial court issued a warrant for her arrest on three counts of grave threats stemming from comments she made about President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the first lady and a former House speaker.

The arrest warrant marks a new escalation in Duterte’s legal troubles. She is also facing an impeachment trial in the Senate, a process that could remove her from office if she is convicted and potentially derail her plans to run for president in 2028.

The case is the latest development in a bitter feud between two of the Philippines’ most powerful political dynasties. Marcos and Duterte, both children of former presidents, formed an alliance ahead of the 2022 election that swept them to power before their political partnership collapsed in 2024.

Dressed in black and surrounded by dozens of police officers, Duterte told reporters outside the court that she did not feel safe and accused the authorities of harassment. She said the case involved the president, the first lady and Marcos’ cousin, heightening her fears.

“If I post bail, the harassment won’t stop. If I don’t post bail, I’ll be taken to the police. I have no trust in the police, I have no trust in the courts. I do not feel safe at all,” Duterte said.

She also asked who would be held accountable “if I die tonight,” saying police would simply “wash their hands and call it an accident.”

Interior Minister Jonvic Remulla said police had treated the vice president with the respect she was entitled to when asked to respond to Duterte’s remarks.

“It's very unfortunate that all the pressure in her life is affecting her perception,” Remulla said in a phone message.

Marcos’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Duterte’s remarks about her safety. The office said on Friday that it would respect any decision or order issued by the court.

The court found probable cause to try Duterte on all three counts and set bail at 120,000 pesos, or about $1,900, for each count.

The charges stem from an online press conference in November 2024 in which Duterte said she had spoken with an assassin and instructed him to kill Marcos, his wife Liza Araneta Marcos, and his cousin, then-House Speaker Martin Romualdez, if she herself were killed. Duterte has denied threatening them.

The alleged threats are also among the accusations in the impeachment complaint against Duterte. She separately faces allegations of misusing public funds while serving as vice president and during her tenure as education secretary, which she has also rejected.

The criminal case and impeachment proceedings have deepened the political rupture between the Marcos and Duterte camps, which were once allied but have since become fierce rivals.

By Tamilla Hasanova