The Department of Justice (DoJ) filed grave threats charges Tuesday against Vice President Sara Duterte before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court over online remarks directed at President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

DoJ spokesperson Polo Martinez confirmed the filing, stating prosecutors submitted the complaint to the court clerk around 1:30 p.m.

“We confirm that the complaint for grave threats against Vice President Sara Duterte was filed today, 11 August 2026,” Martinez said, adding that the charge stems from an investigation previously conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and raised during Duterte’s impeachment proceedings.

However, prosecutors dismissed a separate complaint against Duterte for inciting to sedition.

“The inciting to sedition case was dismissed,” Martinez said.

The criminal complaint originated from an NBI investigation into statements Duterte made during an online livestream, in which she allegedly said she had instructed an assassin to target Marcos, the First Lady, and Romualdez if she were killed.

The comments followed a high-profile feud after Duterte’s chief of staff, Zuleika Lopez, was cited for contempt and detained by the House of Representatives during a congressional inquiry into the Vice President’s office spending. Following Duterte’s livestreamed remarks, the Presidential Security Command heightened security protocols for Marcos and senior officials.

Duterte has denied making actionable threats, asserting her statements were taken out of context and characterizing the legal actions as politically motivated.