DOJ dismisses inciting to sedition complaint vs. Sara Duterte

The Department of Justice has dismissed the inciting to sedition complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte over a livestreamed rant in which she said she had already talked to someone to kill President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and former Speaker Martin Romualdez if she were killed.

According to DOJ spokesman Atty. Polo Martinez, the "quantum of proof" was high to merit the filing of an inciting to sedition case before the court.

“It was dismissed for the sole reason that the panel of prosecutors did not find prima facie evidence with reasonable certainty of conviction,” Martinez said.

The DOJ filed grave threats charges against Duterte before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court over the same remarks she made in 2024.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) recommended the filing of the complaints for grave threats and inciting to sedition against Duterte in February 2025.

The complaints were pending for review at the DOJ up until the commencement of the Vice President’s impeachment trial, where NBI Director Melvin Matibag testified that the bureau considered a possible conspiracy involving Duterte and Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste’ Duterte. –NB, GMA News