VICE President Sara Duterte renewed her call for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., her former ally and running mate, to resign.
Addressing supporters during a rally held after the deferment of her arraignment before a Quezon City Regional Trial Court, Duterte urged continued opposition against the administration and repeatedly called on Marcos to step down from office.
“Patuloy tayong manawagan ng paglayas ng problema ng ating bayan na ang pangalan ay Bongbong Marcos. Resign! Umalis ka diyan!” Duterte said on Friday, September 11,
She also intensified her criticism of the President, linking his leadership to the public’s economic struggles.
“Walang dala si Marcos kundi pahirap sa taumbayan,” she said.
In her speech, Duterte used strong language against Marcos, at one point calling him “bangag” and “sinungaling.”
“Ang pagpaparesign sa isang adik ay tuloy-tuloy hanggang pumasok sa sira niyang utak na siya ang problema ng bayan,” she said.
Duterte further accused the administration of corruption and abuse of power, while alleging that government institutions were being used to silence critics and pursue political cases against her allies.
She urged supporters to sustain their protest movement, saying it is a fight for future generations.
“Ang laban na ito ay laban natin para sa ating mga anak,” Duterte said.
The rally drew supporters from Mindanao, the Visayas, and Luzon, hours after her arraignment was deferred, amid ongoing legal and political tensions between Duterte and the Marcos administration.
Political drama?
Duterte further described Marcos as a “manloloko” and raised allegations related to the government’s handling of a supposed flood control scam.
“Harap-harapan tayong niloloko ni Marcos. Paano nakuha ni Martin Romualdez ang pera? Paano umabot sa kamay ni Martin Romualdez ang pera? Merong nag-apruba ng proyekto, merong nagbigay ng pera sa mga kamay niya. Yan ang totoong drama,” she said, referring to former Speaker Martin Romualdez, whom she claimed was arrested over alleged kickbacks from flood control projects.
She also rejected claims that she was seeking “drama” amid the filing of cases against her.
“Walang drama sa pag-file ng kaso laban sa akin. Merong drama sa pag-aresto at pagkulong kay Martin Romualdez,” Duterte said.
The Vice President likewise criticized the impeachment case filed against her, alleging it was part of efforts to silence opposition.
“Makikita ninyo ang paghaharas sa mga senador. Halos ubos na ang ating mga senador para lang matupad ang kanilang kagustuhan na impeachment,” she said.
She also questioned discussions on the voting threshold in the impeachment process.
“Yung threshold naman, nadesisyonan na yun eh sa unang-una pa lang na susundin ang Constitution. So ibig sabihin ngayon na nagbago yung usapan, ibig sabihin ay babaguhin nila? Bakit pa ba natin pag-uusapan yun kung hindi naman babaguhin, ’di ba?” Duterte added.
Duterte further alleged a pattern of political harassment, including the dismissal of a perjury complaint she filed.
Arraignment deferred
The Quezon City Regional Trial Court on Friday, September 11, 2026, deferred the arraignment of Duterte on charges of grave threats.
Less than an hour after arriving at the Quezon City Hall of Justice, Duterte and her brother, Rep. Paolo Duterte, left the building after the court granted a defense motion to defer the arraignment.
Duterte’s legal counsel, Atty. Paul Lawrence Lim, declined to disclose the nature of the motion.
“But included among our requests was to defer her arraignment while the judge studies the motion. The judge granted the request to defer the arraignment,” Lim said in Tagalog.
Duterte’s camp filed a petition for certiorari and prohibition on August 21 against the information filed before the Quezon City court, seeking to halt the proceedings and have the charges declared void.
The Vice President is facing three counts of grave threats stemming from her statement that she had contracted someone to kill President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and then House Speaker Martin Romualdez if she herself were killed.
She made the statement during an online press conference in the early hours of November 23, 2024.
Duterte posted bail after the court issued an arrest warrant against her on September 4, 2026.
Palace hits back
Palace press officer Claire Castro on the same day responded to the vice president's statement.
“Was she in a lucid interval at that time? Nasa tama ba siyang huwisyo? Nasa tama ba siyang pag-iisip? Baka po ito dala ng sleepless nights and anxiety kaya hindi na po siya nakakapag-isip ng maayos,” Castro said.
Castro also responded to Duterte’s call for Marcos’ resignation.
“Bakit? Gusto ninyo, gusto ni Bise Presidente agad-agad umupo? Kita naman, even before, ang plano ninyo,” she said, urging the public to discern who is acting in the country’s interest.
On Duterte’s claim that there was “drama” in the arrest of Romualdez, Castro said authorities were simply doing their jobs and that there was more “drama” outside the Quezon City Hall of Justice.
She also pushed back against Duterte’s accusations against the President, citing past statements by former President Rodrigo Duterte on drug use.
“Inamin mismo ni dating Pangulong Duterte na siya’y gumagamit ng marijuana… kung anong ginagawa ng inyong pamilya, huwag niyo pong ipahid kay Pangulong Marcos Jr.,” Castro said.
Castro added that the Vice President was not being silenced and was even being encouraged to speak, particularly in relation to her impeachment case.
“Pinapasalita nga po kayo… pero patungkol sa inyong sariling kaso… wala kayong masabing tama,” she said.
She also turned the issue of corruption back on the Duterte administration, urging the Vice President to address allegations involving her camp instead of shifting blame.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla, for his part, earlier said he was only performing his duties in relation to the arrest of Romualdez and urged focus on more pressing issues, including Duterte’s impeachment case.
“I think she has bigger things to mind than me,” Remulla said.
“She has an impeachment [trial] going on. Maybe her energies are better focused on real-world problems,” he added. RGL
