Sara Duterte decries harassment; DILG says tracking her is part of its job

Vice President Sara Duterte on Saturday accused the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) of political harassment after DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla said authorities knew her whereabouts on the night an arrest warrant was issued against her.

Duterte made the accusation in response to Remulla’s earlier remarks addressing her distrust of the court and the police, saying, “We knew of her whereabouts the night before, but we did not force the warrant of arrest.”

According to Duterte, Remulla’s statement supposedly amounted to an admission by the Philippine National Police (PNP) and other government agencies of a long-standing pattern of political harassment and surveillance against her.

“Ang mga salitang ito ni Secretary Jonvic Remulla ay tila nagpapatibay sa mga dokumentong matagal na naming hawak hinggil sa harassment at surveillance operations ng Philippine National Police at iba pang ahensya ng gobyerno laban sa akin,” Duterte said in a statement.

(These words from Secretary Jonvic Remulla seem to confirm the documents we have long held regarding the harassment and surveillance operations of the Philippine National Police and other government agencies against me.)

Duterte alleged that the administration’s surveillance operations against her had been ongoing for several years, citing what she described as the government’s massive spending on activities targeting the incumbent vice president.

She also questioned why authorities had to visit her mother and children if they already knew her whereabouts.

“At dahil alam ninyo kung nasaan ako, isang mahalagang tanong ang dapat ninyong sagutin—bakit ninyo pa kinakailangang puntahan ang aking ina at mga anak?” the vice president said.

(And because you knew where I was, there is an important question you need to answer—why did you still need to go to my mother and my children?)

“Isa lamang ang malinaw na sagot—upang takutin at sindakin ang aking pamilya,” she added.

(There is only one clear answer—to intimidate and frighten my family.)

Duterte also reiterated that she could not surrender to the police because she said authorities could not guarantee her safety while in custody.

“Nais ko mang bigyang-diin ang aming posisyon ukol sa isyu ng jurisdiction sa pamamagitan ng pagsuko sa pulisya, hindi ko magawa dahil hindi ninyo kayang ipangako na magiging ligtas ako sa loob ng inyong kulungan. Hindi ninyo maipangako na hindi ako sasaktan o aabusuhin habang nasa inyong kustodiya,” Duterte said.

(I want to emphasize our position on the issue of jurisdiction by surrendering to the police, but I cannot do so because you cannot promise that I will be safe inside your jail. You cannot promise that I will not be hurt or abused while in your custody.)

“...Wala kaming tiwala sa iyo, Jonvic Remulla, at sa mga pulis na sunod-sunuran sa isang korap na pamahalaang pinamumunuan ni Marcos,” she added.

(...We have no trust in you, Jonvic Remulla, and in the police officers who blindly follow a corrupt government led by Marcos.)

Duterte also cited her camp’s previous allegations concerning the circumstances surrounding former President Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest and transfer to The Hague.

Not illegal or unusual

In a message sent via Viber on Sunday, Remulla said it is not "illegal" or "unusual" for the DILG to know Duterte's location since it is part of the department's duty.

"She should blame the people around her. They informed us where she was when the warrant was issued. It’s our duty to do our best to know her location. That was not illegal nor unusual," Remulla told GMA News Online.

The Vice President was issued an arrest warrant on Friday after a Quezon City court found probable cause to charge her with three counts of grave threats.

The charges stem from Duterte’s public statements in 2024 that she had hired an assassin to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and then-House Speaker Martin Romualdez if an alleged plot to kill her succeeded.

On Saturday, she posted bail of P360,000 before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court. —with a report from Mariel Celine Serquiña/MCG/RF/KG, GMA News