MORE PAINFUL Vice President Sara Duterte heads to the podium at her first press conference since being impeached on Feb. 5, 2025. After saying, 鈥淕od save the Philippines,鈥� she downplayed the move to oust her, telling journalists at the end that it was more painful to lose a lover than to be impeached by the House of Representatives. 鈥擫YN RILLON
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� The Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Thursday that it 鈥渉opes鈥� Vice President Sara Duterte will see the criminal complaints filed against her as a chance to clear her name.
DOJ spokesperson Mico Clavano made the pronouncement after the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Wednesday filed incitement to sedition and grave threat complaints against Duterte.
READ: NBI recommends filing case vs VP Duterte for threatening Marcos
鈥淭hat鈥檚 our hope鈥his is a transparent process. So we鈥檙e being cautious in this situation because we know that this is against one of the highest officials of the land,鈥� Clavano said in a chance interview when asked if the DOJ expects Duterte to show up before the preliminary investigation should she be summoned.
鈥淭his is an opportunity for her to clear her name. Because it is her right to submit a counter-affidavit in her defense. We are hoping that she will also use it or she will take the chance to clear her name also,鈥� he added.
Duterte is facing incitement to sedition and grave threat complaints聽after revealing during an online press conference that she instructed someone to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., his wife Liza, and cousin Speaker Martin Romualdez should she be killed.
Clavano clarified that the complaints filed by the NBI are still pending before the National Prosecution Service (NPS) to analyze and determine whether there is a reasonable certainty of conviction.
This means the complaints may either be returned to the NBI for further case build-up, or proceed to a preliminary investigation which will eventually result in the filing of cases in court.
Clavano said the NPS evaluation of the complaints is expected to take only a few days.
鈥淔or now, because this is still the first step, it is still a long process. But for sure, we will give Vice President Sara Duterte the opportunity to submit her counter-affidavit when the time is right, through due process,鈥� he added.
Duterte is also facing complaints for grave coercion, direct assault, and disobedience filed by the Philippine National Police, and聽disbarment complaints before the Supreme Court.
Last February 5, the House of Representatives impeached Duterte.