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September 6, 2026 | 4:33pm
MANILA, Philippines — Several current and former lawmakers have rejected Vice President Sara Duterte’s portrayal of herself as a victim, saying she must face accountability over the grave threats complaints filed against her before a Quezon City court.
Separate statements from current and former lawmakers came after Duterte lashed out at her lawyers in front of the media on September 5, saying that she does not feel safe around law enforcement.
In a statement on Sunday, September 6, Rep. Leila de Lima (Mamamayang Liberal) emphasized that Duterte must face accountability.
“Hindi ka biktima; may pananagutan ka,” De Lima said.
(You are not a victim; you are accountable.)
Former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, in a separate statement, also urged the public to “look at Duterte” and choose wisely in the next presidential elections.
“Sana naman maliwanag sa inyo na wala talaga siya (Duterte) sa tamang pag-iisip,” Trillanes said.
(I hope it's clear to you that he/she is really not in her right mind)
“Hindi ito pwedeng maging presidente o manatili bilang bise presidente. Alang-alang sa ating bayan at sa ating mga kapwa Pilipino, pumili naman tayo nang maayos,” he added.
(This person cannot be president or remain as vice president. For the sake of our country and our fellow Filipinos, let's make a better choice.)
Special treatment
On September 4, the Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 98 issued a warrant of arrest against Duterte over three counts of grave threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
She posted bail on Saturday, September 5, with P120,000 for each count. She appeared personally before the court. One of her lawyers, Paul Lawrence Lim, said that Duterte submitted her mugshots to the court.
For House impeachment prosecutor Rep. Terry Ridon (Bicol-SARO), the said act of Duterte giving her mugshots to the court instead of undergoing booking procedures is a form of “special treatment.”
“The Philippine National Police waived its ordinary booking procedures in the case of Vice President Sara Duterte. It is clearly a case of special treatment that does not speak well of the rule of law and the equality of persons before the law,” Ridon said.
“Dapat pantay ang pagtrato ng batas sa lahat ng mga akusado: ordinaryong tao, senador o pangalawang pangulo. No special treatment,” he added.
(The law must treat all accused individuals equally: whether an ordinary citizen, a senator, or the vice president. No special treatment.)
According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), immunity from suit only applies to the president.
“The DOJ's position is that presidential immunity is lodged solely in the president as chief executive, which is why the DOJ filed the case against the accused,” DOJ spokesperson Polo Martinez told reporters.
For Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, the Philippine National Police accorded Duterte with “all the respect her position deserves.”
“We have all the body cam footages of her warrants being served. We have all the body cam footages of her arrival to post bail,” Remulla said.
“We knew of her whereabouts the night before but we did not force the warrant of arrest,” he added.
No bearing on the impeachment trial
One of the grounds being challenged by Duterte’s lawyers is the vice president’s alleged immunity from criminal prosecution while being in office, as she is an impeachable officer.
However, for lawyer and former Sen. Franklin Drilon, Duterte’s case before the RTC has no bearing on her ongoing impeachment trial, saying the two proceedings are different in nature.
“As we have said, this impeachment trial is sui generis, a class of its own. It is not a court of law,” Drilon said in a radio interview, according to a OneNews report.
“It is not a criminal case. It is a political process, a process provided for by the Constitution to hold accountable those who should be held accountable… The penalty here, if found guilty, is not imprisonment but removal from public office and perpetual disqualification from public office,” he added.
Impeachment legal spokesperson Benjamin Tolosa also echoed Drilon’s opinion.
He explained that the RTC has made its own judicial determination of probable cause for the issuance of the warrant in connection with Duterte’s case.
“The criminal case and the impeachment proceedings are separate proceedings, with different purposes and consequences. The former determines criminal liability, while the latter concerns the Vice President’s fitness to remain in office,” Tolosa said in a social media post.
The grave threats charge is also being tackled in the impeachment court. It is lodged under Article I of the Articles of Impeachment against Duterte. — with reports from OneNews
