The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday said it respects the decision of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC) to defer the arraignment of Vice President Sara Duterte on three counts of grave threats.
The arraignment, originally scheduled for September 11, was deferred as the court continued to deliberate on a pending motion. Duterte was personally at the Hall of Justice for her scheduled arraignment before QC RTC Branch 98.
“The DOJ respects the Court’s decision to defer the arraignment pending resolution of the motion filed by the defense,” DOJ spokesperson Polo Martinez told reporters in a statement.
“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,” it added.
Martinez said the prosecution would refrain from commenting on the case while the pending motion remains unresolved.
The charges stem from Duterte’s November 2024 remarks in which she claimed to have contacted an assassin and instructed the individual to kill President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez if she herself were killed.
Reports from RH Tina Nolasco
