Philippine court issues warrant for VP Duterte's arrest in grave threats case

A Philippine court on Friday ordered the arrest of Vice President Sara Duterte in connection with a criminal case accusing her of making threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the first lady, and a former House speaker.

A trial court issued a warrant for Duterte's arrest in the case involving three counts of grave threats, according to a court order that also set bail at 120,000 pesos ($1,900) for each count.

"Regardless of the question on jurisdiction, she has no intention of evading the law and will continue to exercise all her legal remedies," Duterte's lawyer said in a statement.

The case stems from Duterte's remarks in November 2024 that she had spoken with an assassin and instructed him to kill Marcos, his wife and his cousin, who at the time was speaker of the Philippine House, if she were killed. She has denied threatening them.

The alleged threats are also among the allegations included in the impeachment complaint against Duterte, who is being tried before the Senate sitting as an impeachment court. A conviction could remove her from office and derail her presidential bid in 2028.

Duterte is also accused of misusing public funds while vice president and during her time as education minister. She has denied any wrongdoing.