DOJ respects deferment of Sara’s arraignment

The Department of Justice said it respected the Quezon City Regional Trial Court’s decision to defer Vice President Sara Duterte’s arraignment on three counts of grave threats.

“The DOJ respects the Court’s decision to defer the arraignment pending resolution of the motion filed by the defense,” DOJ spokesperson Polo Martinez said Friday.

“We will allow the judicial process to take its course. At this point, the prosecution will reserve further comment until the motion has been resolved,” he added.

The court postponed Duterte’s arraignment Friday after her lawyers filed a motion seeking its deferment.

Duterte’s lawyer, Paul Lawrence Lim, said the court granted their request but declined to disclose the nature of the motion because of its sensitivity and out of respect for the proceedings.

Lim said their request included a plea to suspend the arraignment while the judge considered the motion.

On 21 August, Duterte’s camp filed a petition for certiorari and prohibition challenging the criminal informations before the Quezon City court. The petition sought an injunction stopping the cases and the nullification of her indictment.

Her lawyers filed another motion on 4 September asking the Supreme Court to order the recall of the arrest warrants.

On Thursday, Duterte’s camp filed an urgent motion asking the high court to resolve her application for a temporary restraining order against the grave threats proceedings.

Duterte arrived at the Quezon City Hall of Justice at about 8:30 a.m. Friday with her brother, Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte.

They briefly greeted supporters before entering the courthouse. The vice president left at about 9 a.m.

Duterte previously posted bail after the court issued warrants for her arrest.

The DOJ filed three counts of grave threats against Duterte on 11 August over statements she made during an online news conference in 2024.