Vice President Sara Duterte faced the media at the Department of Justice in Manila on Friday, 9 May 2025, after filing her counter-affidavit against complaints of inciting to sedition and grave threats. This was after she allegedly plotted to kill President Bongbong Marcos and other members of his family.
John Carlo Magallon
The Department of Justice (DoJ) affirmed its decision Tuesday to prosecute Vice President Sara Duterte on three counts of grave threats, while her defense counsel argued that an impeachable official cannot face criminal charges while still in office.
Following the initial hearing at the Quezon City Regional Trial Court, DoJ spokesperson Atty. Polo Martinez reiterated that prosecutors found sufficient evidence to proceed to trial.
“As previously said, just to reiterate our position, the prosecution sees prima facie evidence with reasonable certainty of conviction to charge the Vice President with grave threats,” Martinez said.
“We are just doing our part in the prosecution to fulfill our mandate... when we see that the evidence is sufficient to proceed to trial, we file it and then we prosecute it,” he added.
