The Quezon City Regional Trial Court granted Vice President Sara Duterte’s request to defer her arraignment on three counts of grave threats.
Duterte personally appeared at the Quezon City Hall of Justice on Sept. 11, 2026, but the court did not read the charges or require her to enter a plea after granting the deferment. Her camp declined to disclose the reason for the request.
“Habang ito’y pinag-aaralan, habang ito’y hindi pa napapagpasyahan ay deferred muna o suspended ang arraignment ng ating bise presidente,” Duterte’s lawyer Atty. Paul Lawrence Lim said.
Duterte’s camp has repeatedly challenged the criminal proceedings, warning that allowing the case to proceed against a sitting impeachable official could have “serious, far-reaching and dangerous consequences” for the country’s legal system. Her lawyers argue that the Constitution provides impeachable officials with limited procedural immunity while in office and that their removal must go through the constitutional impeachment process.
Duterte has also asked the Supreme Court PH to halt the case and determine whether the Department of Justice and the Quezon City trial court have jurisdiction over her while she remains vice president. Her camp, however, made clear on Sept. 4, when the arrest warrant was issued, that she would continue to participate in the legal proceedings.
“Regardless of the question on jurisdiction, she has no intention of evading the law and will continue to exercise all her legal remedies,” Duterte’s camp said on Sept. 4.
She appeared before the Quezon City court the following day and posted ₱360,000 in cash bail, or ₱120,000 for each count.
The Department of Justice said it respects the Quezon City court’s decision to defer the arraignment pending resolution of the inhibition motion filed by Duterte’s defense. The department said it would let the judicial process take its course and withhold further comment until the motion is resolved.
The charges stem from Duterte’s November 2024 remarks involving President Bongbong Marcos, First Lady Liza Marcos and then-House Speaker Martin Romualdez. The DOJ dismissed a separate inciting-to-sedition complaint arising from the same remarks, while Duterte has maintained that her statements were taken out of context and did not amount to an actual threat.
