Involved in threatening to assassinate President Marcos Jr., Philippine Vice President Sala surrendered and released bail
The District Court issued an arrest warrant for allegedly threatening to assassinate President Marcos and his family, who accompanied the attorney-in-chief in the preliminary appeal and completed bail on 5 May.
Quick Look
- Philippine Vice President Sara was suspected of threatening to assassinate President Marcos and his wife and former House Speaker Romualdes.
- On the 5th, accompanied by a lawyer, she went to the Quezon City District Court to surrender and apply for bail.
- The court subsequently lifted the arrest warrant.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Sara stated at a video press conference in November 2024 that she had told others to assassinate Marcos, his wife and Romualdez if something happened to her.
(Central News Agency reporter Lin Xingjian’s special report from Manila on the 5th) Philippine Vice President Sara. The district court issued an arrest warrant for Duterte yesterday on suspicion of threatening to assassinate President Marcos Jr. and his family. Sarah went to the court today accompanied by her lawyer and voluntarily surrendered and applied for bail. The court has lifted the arrest warrant.
The case originated from a video press conference held by Sara Duterte in November 2024. At the time, she said she was facing threats to her life and hinted that she knew who was behind the attack, so she had told someone to assassinate Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his wife and then House Speaker Martin Romualdez if something happened to her.
The Philippine Ministry of Justice indicted Sara on "major coercion" in August. The Quezon City District Court issued an arrest warrant for Sara on September 4. The bail for each charge was 120,000 pesos (approximately NT$60,500), and the three counts totaled 360,000 pesos.
The "Revised Rules of Criminal Procedure" of the Philippines stipulate that the prerequisite for bail is that the suspect must be under "Custody of the law". Therefore, Sarah's voluntary surrender to the court was in line with the conditions for voluntarily accepting legal jurisdiction, and was also the legal procedure for subsequent bail release.
Shortly after noon today, Sara, accompanied by her lawyer, entered the Quezon City District Court to surrender and go through the bail process. His lawyer stated that Sara's visit to the court this time was regarded as a voluntary surrender. The court did not take a mugshot of the suspect for her, but asked her to prepare the photos herself and submit them. She then went through the necessary procedures, including fingerprinting, before the court clerk.
After completing the bail process, the court issued an order to lift the arrest warrant. The lawyer advised Sara to carry this order document with her to avoid being improperly arrested in the future.
According to multiple live TV news broadcasts in the Philippines, Sara said outside the court that because she did not trust the court and the police, she chose to take the stairs instead of taking the elevator when entering and leaving the court. She hoped that the media could see her actions along the way to ensure her own safety.
In addition to related criminal cases such as major threats, Sara is currently facing Senate impeachment proceedings for misusing confidential funds, bribing government officials, issuing assassination threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and possessing wealth from unknown sources.
Justin Gular, deputy spokesman for Sala's impeachment defense team, said in an interview with DZMM radio that the court's arrest warrant does not mean that Sala has been found guilty, and the relevant charges still need to be clarified through normal judicial procedures.
On the other hand, Terry Ridon, a member of the Philippine House of Representatives impeachment prosecution team, also clarified that this criminal case and the impeachment proceedings are not related to each other, and the House of Representatives prosecution team will continue to advance the impeachment case until the end of the proceedings.
Sara is the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte. She and Marcos were originally political allies. The two will run for president and vice president together in 2022. However, the two families gradually drifted apart due to political differences. Eventually, the relationship between the two families completely broke down when the Philippine government sent the elder Duterte to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for trial for the "anti-drug war".
Sarah, who has expressed her intention to run for president in 2028, will now face dual political and judicial challenges at the same time. Whether she is successfully impeached or convicted of major coercion charges, she may be disqualified from running for president in 2028. (Editor: Zhou Yongjie) 1150905
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The House Prosecutor's team will continue to advance the bombing case
Very likely · Within months
Open Questions
- When will a serious threat trial be officially opened?
- What was the final outcome of the Senate bombing?
