Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida on Thursday said the Department of Justice would not dismiss Vice President Sara Duterte’s concerns about her safety, saying that her feelings were legitimate even as the DOJ maintained that she has no immunity from suit.
“Dapat hindi tayo judgemental. Of course, these are legitimate feelings,” Vida said during a press conference when asked about Duterte’s statement that she does not feel safe and does not trust the court handling her case.
Vida said it was “saddening” that the Vice President, the country’s second-highest official, feels unsafe, but added that law enforcement agencies have assured that they are ready to perform their duties to protect her and other Filipinos.
“We cannot gaslight the feelings of an individual. Dapat hindi tayo judgemental. Of course, these are legitimate feelings and I don’t like to speculate where she is coming from,” he said.
Vida, however, stood firm on the DOJ’s position that Duterte cannot invoke immunity from suit to stop the criminal proceedings against her.
Asked whether an impeachable officer may be sued, Vida said the issue has been raised by Duterte before the Supreme Court but maintained that under the country’s existing laws and legal system, only the President enjoys immunity from suit while in office.
“Ang meron lang immunity from suit habang naka-upo ay ang ating mahal na Pangulo. Ang Vice President po, sa bagay na ito, ay wala pong immunity from suit,” Vida said.
Duterte is facing a grave threats case before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court over her online tirade against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former Speaker Martin Romualdez.
She is currently out on bail.
Duterte’s legal team has argued that she cannot be criminally prosecuted for an offense that is also included in her impeachment case.#