Arrest warrant vs. Sara Duterte indicates probable cause in threat cases, says Adiong

The issuance of a warrant of arrest on Vice President Sara Duterte over remarks she made in an online press conference against President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Marcos, and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez indicates probable cause in the grave threats cases filed against her.

This was said by Lanao Del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, a spokesperson for the House impeachment prosecution panel, after the Quezon City Regional Trial Court issued the warrant of arrest for three counts of grave threats that the Department of Justice filed against the Vice President.

“The issuance of an arrest warrant is not a finding of guilt. Due process must be observed at every stage," Adiong said in a statement.

"A court, however, does not issue a warrant without probable cause. That determination has now been made," he added.

Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon stressed that the warrant was not an indication of her guilt.

“The issuance of the warrant is not, by itself, a determination of guilt. The Vice President will have every opportunity to present her defenses before the proper court,” Ridon said in a statement.

“We take note of the statement that Vice President Sara Duterte has no intention of evading the law and will avail herself of the legal remedies available to her,” he added.

Ridon also said the case before the QC RTC is separate from the impeachment proceedings.

“The impeachment proceedings are a separate constitutional accountability process. The Senate Impeachment Court will independently determine the matters properly before it,” Ridon said.

“No one should prejudge either proceeding. The courts and the Impeachment Court should be allowed to perform their respective constitutional duties,” he said.

To recall, the DOJ filed three counts of grave threats against the vice president over her remarks that she hired an individual to kill President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and former speaker Martin Romualdez, should an alleged plot against her succeed.

Following this, Duterte filed a motion to quash on the ground of jurisdiction, arguing that she and other impeachable officers have limited procedural immunity while in office under the 1987 Constitution.

The court held the oral arguments on Duterte’s motion in late August. Duterte had said her remarks were "maliciously taken out of logical context."

The vice president’s alleged grave threats against the Marcoses and Romualdez are also the basis of one of the Articles of Impeachment against her in the ongoing trial before the Senate impeachment court. –NB, GMA News