Palace distances from Sara Duterte ‘special treatment’ at QC court

Vice President Sara Duterte arrives at the Quezon City Hall of Justice on Saturday, September 5, 2026, to post bail following an arrest warrant issued by Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 98. The warrant stems from three counts of grave threats filed against her. (INQUIRER / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE) MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Monday distanced itself from the alleged red-carpet treatment extended to Vice President Sara Duterte when she appeared before the Quezon City Hall of Justice over the weekend. Duterte arrived at the Quezon City Hall of Justice on Saturday to post bail following the issuance of an arrest warrant against her for three counts of grave threats. The charges stemmed from her alleged threats against President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former Speaker Martin Romualdez. Article continues after this advertisement READ: Arrest warrant issued vs Sara Duterte over grave threats Photos and videos showing a red carpet rolled out for Duterte as she entered the building, however, raised questions about why such treatment was given to an individual facing an arrest warrant. When asked about this, Palace press officer Claire Castro cited the separation of powers between the executive and judiciary. “Wala po tayong masasabi kung ano po ang naging dahilan ng korte [sa paglagay ng red carpet]. Iyan po ay hindi na po saklaw ng ehekutibo,” she said at a briefing. (We cannot say what the court’s reason was for putting up the red carpet. That is no longer within the scope of the executive branch.) Article continues after this advertisement “Kung ano po ang nais nilang isagawa na proseso sa kanilang korte, nasa kanila po iyon,” Castro continued. (If they wish to carry out a particular process in their court, that is entirely up to them.) Article continues after this advertisement Castro said there was nothing wrong with Duterte not having her mugshots taken, after House prosecutor and Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon described the absence of mugshots as “special treatment.” READ: Palace denies Sara Duterte’s claim on plan to ‘attack’ her Duterte’s legal team submitted her recent photographs to the court in lieu of police mugshots. According to Castro, however, an accused person is not required to have their mugshots taken exclusively at a police precinct. “Sa parte po ng hindi pagkuha ng mugshot, mayroon po kasing proseso na kapag po kayo ay pumunta nang diretso sa korte at naglagak po ng cash bond, ang lahat po ng requirements na maaaring isumite katulad po ng mga larawan, sketch ng tahanan, kung saan iyong address, barangay certificate, at kapag ito naman po ay nakumpleto, hindi naman po niri-require na pumunta pa sa presinto para sa the usual na nakikita nating mugshot,” Castro explained. (Regarding the part about not having a mugshot, there is a process where, if you go directly to the court and post a cash bond, you can submit all the required documents, such as photographs, a sketch of your residence showing the address, a barangay certificate, and other requirements. Once everything has been completed, you are not required to go to the police station for the usual mugshot that we typically see.) Duterte posted bail for each of the three counts of grave threats filed against her before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court. She appeared in person before QC RTC Branch 98, accompanied by her lawyers, Atty. Paul Lawrence Lim and Atty. Michael Poa, to post bail. Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again. Your subscription has been successful. In total, Duterte posted a cash bond of P360,000, or P120,000 for each of the three counts against her. /gsg