Vice President Sara Duterte’s arraignment on three counts of grave threats did not push through Friday after the Quezon City Regional Trial Court deferred the proceedings because a motion for reconsideration remains pending.
RTC Branch 98 had scheduled Duterte’s arraignment and pre-trial for Sept. 11 following its finding of probable cause to put her on trial for all three charges.
The court earlier rejected Duterte’s bid to quash the charges on jurisdictional grounds, with her lawyers arguing that an incumbent vice president, as an impeachable official, has limited procedural immunity from criminal prosecution while in office.
Her camp has separately gone to the Supreme Court seeking to stop the proceedings and asking for urgent action on its application for a temporary restraining order while the constitutional and jurisdictional questions are being litigated.
Duterte posted a total of Php 360,000 in bail on Sept. 5, a day after Branch 98 issued a warrant for her arrest, with the court subsequently lifting the warrant.
The criminal cases arose from Duterte’s remarks during an online briefing in November 2024 involving President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and then-House Speaker Martin Romualdez, which prosecutors alleged constituted grave threats.
Duterte has maintained that her statements were taken out of context and reiterated concerns about her security after appearing in court to post bail, saying she did not feel safe and feared for her children.
The vice president’s lawyers have said she intends to face the charges while continuing to pursue available legal remedies, including her challenge to the trial court’s jurisdiction.
The postponement does not resolve the three grave threats charges, and Duterte remains presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.