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Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon questioned why Vice President Sara Duterte apparently did not undergo a police mugshot after posting bail for three counts of grave threats at the Quezon City Regional Trial Court on Saturday, September 5.
Duterte’s legal team, however, maintained that there was no special treatment, explaining that the Vice President posted bail directly with the court and was not detained.
In a post on X, Ridon compared Duterte’s case with what he described as the usual booking process faced by ordinary accused individuals.
“Wag tayong magtipid sa paglalarawan: Kapag ordinaryong akusado ang sumasailalim sa booking process, may mugshot. Pero kapag Pangalawang Pangulo ang akusado, biglang walang mugshot,” Ridon wrote.
The lawmaker called on authorities to explain the legal basis for the absence of a mugshot.
“Kung may legal na batayan para sa exemption, ipaliwanag nila. Kung wala, special treatment iyan,” he said.
Ridon argued that the same procedure should apply regardless of a person’s position.
“Hindi ganyan ang itsura ng pantay na pagpapatupad ng batas. Pareho dapat ang proseso para sa lahat—ordinaryong mamamayan man o Pangalawang Pangulo,” he added.
Ridon’s statements represented his criticism of how the process was handled and did not by themselves establish that Duterte received preferential treatment.
Atty. Paul Lawrence Lim, one of Duterte’s lawyers, said the Vice President was not subjected to a police mugshot because she was not arrested or detained.
According to Lim, Duterte instead submitted her own photographs with a white background as part of the required documents for her bail. Her fingerprints were also submitted.
“Wala namang special treatment na ibinigay sa ating Bise Presidente. She had to go through the same process,” Lim told reporters.
Atty. Trixie Angeles similarly explained that the photographs Duterte submitted were intended for her bail bond.
“Tama ba na siya ang mag-submit ng photos? Pero the photos that she submitted were for attaching them to the bail bond, so talagang required ‘yon,” Angeles said.
She added that Duterte was not detained because she posted bail directly with the court, which accepted it.
Their statements represented the legal team’s explanation of the procedure followed in Duterte’s case, while Ridon called for authorities to publicly clarify the legal basis for the absence of a police mugshot.
Ridon also criticized Duterte after the Vice President publicly questioned who would be held responsible if something happened to her while dealing with the arrest warrant.
Before entering the Quezon City court, Duterte expressed concern about her security and said she did not feel safe.
“Sinong sasagot kapag namatay ako mamayang gabi? Sinong mananagot? Siyempre, maghuhugas-kamay lang ‘yong pulis, make it look like an accident, maghuhugas-kamay lang ‘yong judge. I do not feel safe at all, kahit anong gawin ko,” Duterte said.
Her remarks reflected her expressed fears about her safety and did not establish that police, court officials, or other authorities intended to harm her.
Ridon responded by saying Duterte should instead address the allegations against her in court.
“‘Sinong mananagot?’ Kayo po, Madam Vice President, ang kailangang managot at sumagot sa mga alegasyong kinakaharap ninyo,” he wrote.
“Tama na po ang drama. Wala naman pong grave threats case ngayon kung hindi dahil sa mga pahayag na naging batayan ng kasong isinampa laban sa inyo,” he added.
“Harapin po ninyo ang proseso at ilahad po ninyo ang inyong depensa sa korte.”
Duterte posted a total of P360,000 bail, or P120,000 for each of the three counts of grave threats filed against her.
