Vice President Sara Duterte is asking the Department of Justice (DOJ) to junk the incitement to sedition and grave threat complaints filed against her.
Duterte appeared before the Office of the Prosecutor General in Manila to attend the first day of the preliminary investigation. She declined to speak to the media on the advice of her legal team.
Following the hearing, her lawyers, Michael Poa and Paul Lim, said Duterte had formally taken an oath before the panel and submitted her counter-affidavit.
“Kauna-unahang araw ng preliminary investigation, siya ay nagpakita agad at nagbigay ng kanyang counter-affidavit na naglalahad ng kanyang mga dahilan kung bakit dapat hindi ipagpatuloy at ibasura na lang ang mga paratang na reklamo laban sa kanya,” Lim said.
Poa emphasized that Duterte has remained consistent in addressing the accusations through proper legal channels.
“Lagi naman niya sinasabi noon na haharapin naman talaga niya sa mga tamang venue ‘yung mga binabatong accusation laban sa kanya, which ginawa niya,” he said.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla earlier gave assurances that Duterte would be afforded due process.
“No problem with due process. We respect the office, that’s the most important,” he told reporters.
Poa added that due process is expected not only for the vice president but for anyone involved in a preliminary investigation.
The probe stems from a recommendation by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), which sought charges of incitement to sedition and grave threats against Duterte.
The complaint is linked to her alleged remarks that she had spoken to someone about having President Marcos, First Lady Liza Marcos, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez killed if she were assassinated first.
