VP: Ex-AFP chief assured my family protection

Vice President Sara Duterte arrives at the Quezon City Hall of Justice on Saturday, September 5, 2026, to post bail following an arrest warrant issued by Quezon City RTC Branch 98. The warrant stems from three counts of grave threats filed against her. —Inquirer photo/Grig C. Montegrande MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday said that in 2024, then Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. assured her that her children and mother would be spared from being dragged into any government action against her. Duterte made the statement after releasing a screenshot of what she described as a private message exchange with Brawner dated Feb. 7, 2024. “Since my security is linked to the Armed Forces of the Philippines in accordance with the constitutional line of succession, I deemed it appropriate to convey certain important requests to former Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner [Jr.],” she said. Article continues after this advertisement “Above all, I asked that my mother and children be respected and protected, and that they not be dragged into or intimidated by whatever might be done to me,” she added. READ: Adiong hits Sara Duterte’s safety fear remark: How ironic In the screenshot, Brawner purportedly assured Duterte that President Marcos “will not allow anything to happen” to her and to her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte. Brawner also supposedly told Duterte that he would inform her as soon as he learned of any arrest order against her, and that if any action were to be taken against her, it would be carried out “outside [the Vice President’s] residence.” Duterte, for her part, responded that she was “not worried” and was simply going through what was in her “task list.” Article continues after this advertisement “As for the important No. 2 matter—just not where my children and my mother are. Just tell everyone to look for me outside,” she said. In her statement, Duterte stressed that the act of authorities going to or even just approaching the location where both her children and her mother were “is a serious matter.” Article continues after this advertisement “Especially when minors are involved or affected. Children should not be used, intimidated, or dragged into acts of harassment or coercion. This constitutes child abuse,” she said. Duterte first mentioned her children being affected by her legal troubles on Saturday, when she appeared in court to post bail for the three counts of grave threats filed against her. Coordinated effort Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla disputed Duterte’s claims, stating that arresting authorities did not even enter her residence’s interior, nor was there a commotion resulting from their presence. “Never did we enter the house to harass her mother or her children. The police are there every night [outside her house] just to provide deterrence if someone wants to attack the Vice President. That’s SOP,” Remulla said at a press briefing in Camp Crame. “Child abuse is a serious charge… There was no SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics team). There was no armed component. The women (police) were all unarmed. They were duly accepted into their residence and into their office,” Remulla said. Duterte had also claimed harassment by the police related to her arrest warrant. But Remulla said police knowledge of Duterte’s whereabouts, which was needed to serve the warrant, was “not a cloak-and-dagger affair” but a coordinated effort between her security team and the police, one that “involved direct communication between the two parties.” “So, any thoughts of harassment during the service [are] totally untrue. We dare them to present any CCTV [footage] that they have in their office, in their residence, of harassment that went on in the service of the warrant,” said Remulla. No supporting evidence Meanwhile, Malacañang on Monday pushed back at Duterte’s statements that she had received information in 2024 about alleged plans by President Marcos to “attack” her and secure an International Criminal Court warrant against former President Duterte. At a briefing, Palace press officer Claire Castro denied Duterte’s claims, saying they were baseless. “We categorically deny this allegation made by the Vice President. There is no evidence to support it, nor are there any records that can substantiate this claim,” said Castro. The Palace also distanced itself from what some quarters decried as the red-carpet treatment given to Duterte at the Quezon City Hall of Justice over the weekend. Duterte arrived at the Hall of Justice on Saturday to post bail, following the arrest warrant issued against her for her alleged threats against the President, first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former Speaker Martin Romualdez. Photos and videos showed a red carpet being rolled out for Duterte as she entered the building, raising questions among some observers as to why such treatment was given to an individual facing an arrest warrant. But according to Castro, “we cannot say what the court’s reason was for putting up the red carpet. That is no longer within the scope of the executive branch.” Duterte posted bail for each of the three counts of grave threats filed against her before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC). In total, her cash bond amounted to P360,000, or P120,000 for each of the three counts. Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again. Your subscription has been successful. Duterte appeared in person before RTC Branch 98 accompanied by her lawyers, Paul Lawrence Lim and Michael Poa. —WITH REPORTS FROM DEXTER CABALZA, AND LUISA CABATO