THE Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 98 has once again deferred the arraignment of Vice President Sara Duterte on charges of grave threats, her legal counsel confirmed Friday.
“The judge decided it would be best not to proceed with the arraignment today,” Atty. Paul Lawrence Lim told reporters following the scheduled hearing. This marks the second postponement in the case, which was originally set to begin on September 11. Lim declined to disclose the rescheduled date, saying the court or the prosecution should make the official announcement.
The decision to delay was made to allow the presiding judge time to thoroughly review two pending legal filings: a motion for partial reconsideration ad cautelam submitted before the RTC, and a separate petition for certiorari filed with the Supreme Court.
The motion before the lower court specifically asks the judge to reconsider and reverse an earlier order denying the defense’s request for the judge to inhibit or recuse himself from hearing the case. During the previous proceeding, the judge had denied the inhibition motion but granted a request to defer the arraignment.
The grave threats case against Vice President Duterte runs parallel to the ongoing impeachment trial in the Senate, though the two proceedings are legally distinct and move on separate timelines. The defense has consistently maintained that the Vice President is entitled to full due process in both venues and that the court must resolve all pending motions before proceeding to arraignment. No new timeline has been publicly confirmed as the court studies the matters before it.
metrosundaily
