Sara Duterte's inciting to sedition, grave threats raps under DOJ review

The complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte over her remarks that she hired an assassin to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and others if she dies have been resolved and are now undergoing review, Justice spokesperson Polo Martinez said Friday.

According to Martinez, the complaints for inciting to sedition and grave threats were resolved in late 2025.

“Under review, meaning may resolution na. It’s pending review with the division head,” Martinez told reporters.

“Inaalam pa kung tama ‘yung naging resolution doon na dismissal or filing. We don’t know yet,” he added.

(They are still determining whether the resolution of dismissal or filing was correct. We don’t know yet.)

Once the resolution is issued, the DOJ panel of prosecutors may either dismiss the case or recommend charges against the vice president before the Philippine courts.

To recall, Duterte said that she ordered someone to kill Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and former Speaker Martin Romualdez if an alleged plot against her succeeds during an online press briefing in 2024.

Following this, the National Bureau of Investigation recommended the filing of a complaint against Duterte in February 2025.

Duterte later clarified that her “assassination” statement was not a threat, saying she only highlighted the alleged threat to her security.

She also said her remarks were “maliciously taken out of logical context.” 

Meanwhile, Martinez said that Duterte’s declaration that she will run for president will not affect the resolution.

“No. Whether or not VP Sara had announced her intentions to run for the presidency will not affect the assessment of the prosecutors in the pending case against her. That applies to any other individual,” he said.  –NB, GMA Integrated News