Sara Duterte camp initially wanted VP jailed, later opted for bail — Jonvic Remulla

Vice President Sara Duterte’s camp initially wanted her to be incarcerated after the Philippine National Police (PNP) served a warrant for her arrest over grave threats, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said Monday.

However, Duterte’s camp later decided that she would instead proceed directly to court to post bail.

“Ang gusto nila magpakulong dito. Sabi namin, bakit ikukulong kaagad? Di ba? So, in the end, they refused. Nagpalit sila ng isip,” Remulla said at a press briefing.

(They wanted her to be jailed here. We asked, why should she be jailed immediately, right? So, in the end, they refused. They changed their minds.)

Remulla said authorities deliberately avoided a dramatic arrest and emphasized that Duterte was being treated with respect because the offense was bailable.

“Ang drama nila, gusto nilang makulong siya. Hindi kami pumayag. We wanted to go according to the rules of law and to the rules of court,” Remulla said.

(They’re making a drama out of it. They wanted her to be jailed, but we did not allow it. We wanted to follow the rules of law and the rules of the court.)

"Sanay kasi silang shortcut. Gusto niya may picture siya na naka-handcuff. Gusto niya may picture siyang nakakulong,

(They’re used to taking shortcuts. She wanted to have a picture of herself in handcuffs. She wanted to have a picture of herself in jail.)

Regarding the absence of a mugshot, Remulla said that under court rules, a person who voluntarily surrenders may submit photographs of themselves as part of the booking procedure.

On Duterte’s claim that she had documented threats and had been subjected to harassment, Remulla said the PNP had not received such information from her.

He urged the Vice President to submit the documented threats so authorities could investigate them.

GMA News Online reached out to Duterte's counsel, Atty Micheal Poa, and will update this story once a response is received.

According to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), Duterte’s Vice Presidential Security Group initially coordinated with police regarding her possible appearance at CIDG headquarters.

CIDG chief Police Major General Robert Morico II said they informed the security group that since the offense was bailable, Duterte could undergo the necessary booking procedures before being escorted to the Quezon City Regional Trial Court to post bail.

However, the security group reportedly told authorities that Duterte did not want to post bail and instead wanted to be incarcerated.

“I was informed by the Vice Presidential Security Group that she did not want to post bail. She wanted to be incarcerated. So they asked where the jail facility was,” Morico said.

He said the Philippine National Police (PNP) received the arrest warrant for Duterte at 12:45 p.m. on Friday.

The CIDG immediately went to Duterte’s office in Mandaluyong City to formally inform her about the warrant and coordinate with her Vice Presidential Security Group.

Morico said the CIDG would not place Duterte in its regular jail facility, citing the presence of notorious criminals and limited facilities for women due to ongoing renovations.

Instead, authorities planned to accommodate her in a conference room while awaiting her transfer to court.

CIDG officials said they waited for Duterte to appear at their headquarters until around 1 a.m., but she did not arrive.

On Saturday morning, Duterte’s camp informed authorities that she would instead proceed directly to the Quezon City Regional Trial Court to post bail.

The PNP then dispatched a team to Duterte’s residence in San Juan to escort her to court. The team was composed of unarmed policewomen.

The PNP said it had offered additional security to Duterte, but she supposedly declined.— MCG, GMA News