Sara Duterte Files Motion to Quash Grave Threats Charges

Vice President Sara Duterte filed a motion to quash grave threats charges against her in a Quezon City Regional Trial Court on August 13, 2026. Her legal team is requesting oral arguments to challenge the prosecution, arguing that the court lacks jurisdiction over an impeachable officer. Her counsel, Paul Lawrence Lim, suggested that allowing the prosecution of a sitting vice president could set a precedent for the indictment of other high-ranking officials, including the president and Supreme Court justices.

The charges, filed by the Department of Justice on August 11, stem from a National Bureau of Investigation complaint. The case centers on a November 23, 2025, online press conference where Duterte allegedly claimed she had contracted someone to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez if she were killed. These remarks followed the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability's decision to transfer Duterte's chief of staff, Undersecretary Zuleika Lopez, to the Correctional Institution for Women during an investigation into Office of the Vice President funds.

Prosecutor General Richard Anthony D. Fadullon asserted that the criminal case is separate from Duterte's ongoing Senate impeachment trial, stating there is no legal bar to filing criminal charges against an impeachable officer. While a separate inciting to sedition complaint was dismissed for lack of evidence, the grave threats charges now form part of the broader impeachment complaint against the vice president. The court has given prosecutors five days to respond to the motion to quash.