Sara to DOJ: Junk inciting to sedition, grave threats raps

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte has asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) to junk the inciting to sedition and grave threats complaints filed against her by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), in connection with her alleged assassination threat against President Marcos and some of his family members.

Duterte personally attended the preliminary investigation on the complaints at the DOJ yesterday to file her counter-affidavit, which asked the panel of prosecutors to dismiss the complaints against her.

In a portion of her counter-affidavit, Duterte denied the charges against her, calling the allegations “false” and “baseless” and arguing that there was no supporting evidence.

“Being accused of a criminal offense, I am constitutionally presumed innocent even in these proceedings, and need not dignify the complaint with a reply, when no evidence has been shown to support it,” the counter-affidavit read.

“Nevertheless, I welcome this opportunity to set the facts straight and to correct Complainants’ false allegations, clear my name of their baseless charges and spare our government and our people the corresponding waste of limited time, effort and resources being caused thereby,” it added.

Her legal counsel Paul Lim said her attendance at the preliminary investigation just shows she made good on her word that she will answer the allegations in the proper venue.

“The Vice President wants to show that she was true to her word that she will face the allegations against her, and this was her opportunity. She attended and submitted her counter-affidavit which contained her reasons why the complaint should no longer progress and be dismissed,” Lim told reporters in Filipino.

Michael Poa, also part of her legal team, refused to give details on the Vice President’s defense, saying they don’t want to preempt proceedings “out of respect to the prosecutors so that they will appreciate it without influence.”

According to her legal team, the NBI was given a chance to file a reply to their counter-affidavit. Another hearing is set on May 16, but the Vice President no longer needs to show up then.

“She does not need to attend the next hearing. What’s important is that she attended the preliminary investigation to submit her counter-affidavit,” Poa said.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, in a separate interview, assured the Vice President that she will be accorded due process in the proceedings.

“Due process. No problem with due process. We’ll respect the office. That’s the most important,” he said when asked what Duterte can expect during the preliminary investigation.

Duterte’s legal team said this was the least they could expect. “We expect due process, that’s the minimum. We expect due process, not just for the VP,” Poa said.

Duterte refused to comment, saying she was barred by her lawyers from doing so.

“My lawyers said I should not speak. I would speak up if my lawyers weren’t here but I can’t because they’re here,” she told reporters.

The NBI filed the complaints last February after months of investigating her over her threat to have the President, First Lady Liza Marcos and Speaker Martin Romualdez assassinated.

She made the threat live on video in late November 2024, when she said she had contracted a hitman who was instructed to kill the President, First Lady and Speaker if she was killed.

She even stressed her threat was no joke, but she would later claim she was taken out of context.

Originally, she was investigated for grave threats and for violating the Anti-Terrorism Act.

This is the first time she had attended the proceedings against her as she had snubbed all of the NBI’s invitations to attend their investigation, casting doubt on the agency’s investigations.

She also said her attendance at the NBI proceedings would not have mattered anyway as the Marcos administration had already allegedly predetermined the filing of the complaints.

Under the Philippines’ Revised Penal Code, those who will be found guilty of inciting to sedition may be imposed with “the penalty of prision correccional in its maximum period” and a fine of up to P400,000.

The penalty for those found guilty of grave threats will depend on the threat issued, and whether or not the offender attained the purpose of such threat.