Duterte not yet guilty, but arrest order shows probable cause – solon

Vice President Sara Duterte (Screenshot from her online press briefing on November 23, 2024) MANILA, Philippines — While the arrest order issued against Vice President Sara Duterte for charges of grave threats does not indicate guilt yet, Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said that courts do not make such decisions without finding probable cause. Adiong, in a statement on Friday, said that due process must be observed at each phase of the legal process. However, he said that the determination of probable cause has already been made — which is why a warrant of arrest was issued by a Quezon City court. Article continues after this advertisement “The issuance of an arrest warrant is not a finding of guilt. Due process must be observed at every stage,” he said. “A court, however, does not issue a warrant without probable cause. That determination has now been made,” he pointed out. According to the lawmaker, every legal remedy must be made available to Duterte, but she should avail of those remedies within the court, and not outside it. “The vice president remains entitled to every legal remedy available under the law. Those remedies should be pursued through the courts, not outside them,” Adiong said. “The rule of law applies equally to all,” he noted. Article continues after this advertisement Earlier, Duterte’s lawyer Paul Lawrence Lim said in a statement that the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 98 has issued an arrest order against Duterte for three counts of grave threats. This covers the supposed threat she made against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez. Article continues after this advertisement READ: Arrest warrant issued vs Sara Duterte over grave threats Lim is the vice president’s counsel in the grave threats charges filed by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). “Today, the Quezon City RTC has issued a warrant of arrest against the vice president,” Lim said in a statement. “Regardless of the question on jurisdiction, she has no intention of evading the law and will continue to exercise all her legal remedies,” he added. A photo of the arrest order issued by Branch 98 Presiding Judge Maria Angelica de Ramos showed that bail was set at P120,000 for each of the three counts of grave threats, or a total of P360,000. The NBI cases stemmed from Duterte’s threats against the president, the first lady and the former house speaker during an online press briefing on November 23, 2024. As she criticized the House for detaining her chief of staff, Undersecretary Zuleika Lopez, Duterte went to berate the First Couple and Romualdez. In the same briefing, Duterte was told by a vlogger to take care as she may be in danger. The vice president replied by urging people not to worry as she has talked with a person about killing the Marcos couple and Romualdez if she herself would get killed. “Do not worry about my security because I already spoke to someone. I said, ‘If I am killed, kill BBM, Liza Araneta, and Martin Romualdez.’ No joke. No joke,” Duterte said in the briefing. READ: Sara Duterte’s kill remark vs Marcos is ‘active threat’ – Palace The same matter has been the subject of the impeachment complaints against Duterte, which eventually was included in the Articles of Impeachment transmitted to the Senate last May 13. The alleged threats were included as Article IV, which the House prosecution panel has finished tackling. The defense panel for Duterte’s impeachment has maintained that Duterte’s statements were part of free speech. But the prosecution team believes her remarks constituted grave threats — regardless of whether or not the vice president executed a contract with an assassin to kill the three. /apl Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again. Your subscription has been successful. READ: With or without contract to kill, VP made impeachable offense – lawmaker