A criminal case for grave threats has been filed against Vice President Sara Duterte before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court, the Department of Justice confirmed Tuesday.
DOJ spokesperson Atty. Polo Martinez said the case charges Duterte with violating Article 282 of the Revised Penal Code in relation to Section 6 of Republic Act No. 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act.
“We confirmed that the criminal information for grave threats was filed against Vice President Sarah Zimmerman Duterte. The charges for grave threats were under Article 282 of the Revised Penal Code in relation to Section 6 of Republic Act No. 10175 of the Cybercrime Prevention Act,” Martinez told reporters.
The case stemmed from Duterte’s statement during a livestreamed press conference in November 2024 that she had hired someone to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and then-House Speaker Martin Romualdez if she were killed.
The National Bureau of Investigation filed a complaint against Duterte in February 2025 for grave threats and inciting to sedition over the statement.
Martinez said prosecutors found prima facie evidence to indict Duterte for grave threats, including a reasonable certainty of conviction.
“So, after the preliminary investigation, our prosecutors found prima facie evidence with a reasonable certainty of conviction to indict the vice president for the crime of grave threats, again, through cyberspace,” he said.
The recommended bail for the grave threats charge is P120,000.
The DOJ, however, dismissed the inciting to sedition complaint against Duterte for lack of sufficient evidence to prosecute her.
The filing comes as Duterte faces a separate impeachment trial before the Senate over allegations that include the same controversial statement.
Martinez clarified that the criminal case before the Quezon City RTC and the impeachment proceedings before the Senate Impeachment Court are separate and procedurally do not affect each other.
The grave threats case involves alleged criminal liability under the Revised Penal Code and Cybercrime Prevention Act, while the impeachment proceedings determine whether Duterte committed impeachable offenses and should be removed from office.
The case will now proceed before the Quezon City RTC in accordance with the rules governing criminal proceedings.
