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🇸🇬 Singapore /Elections & Politics

Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte posts bail after arrest order over alleged grave threats

From The Straits Times · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire Named sources In the courts
  • Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte posted bail after a trial court found probable cause to try her on three counts of grave threats involving President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., his wife and a former House speaker.
  • The court set bail at 120,000 pesos ($1,900) for each count, while Duterte said she feared harassment and did not trust the police or courts.
  • Duterte also faces an impeachment trial and accusations of misusing public funds, amid a political feud between the Marcos and Duterte families.

Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte posted bail on Saturday after a court ordered her arrest over alleged threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the first lady and former House speaker Martin Romualdez.

The court found probable cause to try Duterte on three counts of grave threats and set bail at 120,000 pesos ($1,900) per count. The case stems from an online press conference in November 2024, when Duterte said she had spoken with an assassin and instructed him to kill Marcos, his wife Liza Araneta Marcos and Romualdez if she were killed. Duterte has denied threatening them.

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.

· Sara DuterteShe spoke outside court after posting bail and accused authorities of harassment.

Dressed in black and surrounded by dozens of police officers outside the court, Duterte said she did not feel safe and accused authorities of harassment. "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," she told reporters.

if I die tonight

· Sara DuterteShe questioned who would be held accountable for her safety.

She also asked who would be held accountable "if I die tonight," saying police would simply "wash their hands and call it an accident." Police and Marcos' office did not immediately respond to her claims. Marcos' office said on Friday that it would respect any decision or order issued by the court.

The arrest order adds to Duterte's legal and political difficulties. She faces an impeachment trial in the Senate that could remove her from office and damage her planned 2028 presidential bid. The alleged threats form part of the impeachment complaint, which also accuses her of misusing public funds as vice president and education secretary. She rejects those allegations. Marcos and Duterte formed an alliance that brought them to power in 2022, but their relationship broke down in 2024.

wash their hands and call it an accident

· Sara DuterteShe said police would respond that way if she died.
About this summary

Originally published by The Straits Times in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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