Vice President Sara Duterte’s legal counsel, Atty. Paul Lawrence Lim of Chua Lim & Associates, clarified that the Vice President received no special treatment during her formal booking procedure at the Quezon City Regional Trial Court.
Lim explained that the Vice President submitted her own photograph for the required court records, while her fingerprints were also formally and properly taken in accordance with standard legal processes.
Concurrently, Lim formally confirmed that the warrant of arrest issued against Duterte has been lifted after she successfully posted the necessary bail for her “grave threats” case.
This legal development stems from a complaint filed by a public school teacher, Risa Hontiveros, who accused Duterte of “grave threats” following an alleged incident in Davao City in 2022, a case that was subsequently transferred to the Quezon City RTC for jurisdiction.
This court appearance follows the Vice President’s camp’s earlier stance, articulated by Lim, asserting that regardless of jurisdictional issues, Duterte has no intention of evading the law and will continue to utilize all available legal remedies.
By posting bail and depositing the corresponding amount with the court, the Vice President has secured temporary liberty, avoiding detention while the merits of her case continue to be heard.
Despite respecting the booking process, her camp maintains its call and legal position to defend the Vice President’s rights concerning issues of immunity and the proper accountability process for impeachable officers in the Philippines, a legal principle often debated regarding its scope for private acts.