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September 5, 2026 | 11:10am
In this photo uploaded on Facebook on June 26, 2026 shows Vice President Sara Duterte.
Vice President Sara Duterte via Facebook
MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte said she fears for her life and the safety of her children after a Quezon City court issued a warrant for her arrest over a grave threats case.
“I have documented threats and harrassment since 2023. I fear for my children. I do not feel they are safe if I am with them,” Duterte said in a statement issued by the Office of the Vice President on Saturday, September 5.
She also claimed that police went to where her children were staying even after she had left to attend court.
“Umalis na nga ako kung nasaan mga anak ko para pumunta sa korte pero pumunta pa rin ang pulis,” Duterte said.
(I had already left where my children were to go to court but the police still went there)
“I do not feel safe. Pakiramdam ko papatayin nila ako,” she added.
(I do not feel safe. I feel like they are going to kill me.)
Duterte's latest statement did not provide details about the threats and harassment she said she had documented since 2023. She also did not identify the police officers she referred to.
The Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 98 issued the arrest warrant on Friday, September 4, after the Department of Justice charged Duterte with three counts of grave threats under Republic Act 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act.
The charges stemmed from Duterte's online press briefing in November 2024, when she said she had hired someone to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Marcos and then-House Speaker Martin Romualdez if she herself were killed.
The court set bail at P120,000 for each count.
Duterte earlier confirmed receiving the arrest warrant, which was issued by Judge Maria Angelica de Ramos and served by police at the Office of the Vice President.
The National Bureau of Investigation said Duterte could post bail even on Saturday. The NBI, like the police, is authorized to implement the warrant.
The warrant was issued as Duterte's impeachment trial before the Senate is ongoing.
Her lawyers have argued that the grave threats case should be dismissed, saying criminal proceedings cannot be pursued against an impeachable official while in office.
The Department of Justice, however, has maintained that there is prima facie evidence with reasonable certainty of conviction to support the three charges against Duterte. — with a report from Cristina Chi
