Sara Duterte's 'kill' threats deemed 'serious, real' by NBI

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has assessed Vice President Sara Duterte's alleged threats to have President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez killed as "serious" and "real," finding that she committed grave threats and incitement to sedition. Atty. Jeremy Lotoc, NBI regional director for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), made this statement while testifying as a prosecution witness on the fourth article of impeachment. This article accuses Duterte of making grave threats against President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and then-House Speaker Martin Romualdez. "Based on our findings, we believe that the Vice President committed the crime of grave threats and inciting to sedition… prima facie evidence with reasonable certainty of conviction," Lotoc stated. Lotoc also testified that the NBI found Duterte’s statements had a tendency to incite sedition. "These statements have tendency to stir up the people against the government… to disturb peace of the community… to undermine peace and public order," he said. Lotoc said investigators concluded that Duterte had the intent, motive, and capability to carry out the threats she made during an online press briefing on November 23, 2024. They considered at least four factors in evaluating Duterte's alleged threats, including the manner in which the statements were delivered. "The Vice President was furious and fuming mad when she uttered [those alleged threats]," Lotoc told the Senate impeachment court on the fourth day of Duterte's impeachment trial. "Nakita namin dun sa video nung ni-run namin. If I'm not mistaken, more or less walong beses siyang galit na galit at nagmumura at minumura sina Presidente, First Lady, and ex-Speaker," he added. (Translation: "We saw in the video, when we reviewed it, that if I'm not mistaken, she was extremely angry and repeatedly hurled expletives at the President, the First Lady, and the former Speaker—around eight times.") Lotoc said investigators also considered the literal meaning of Duterte's statements, the nature of her instructions, and the relationship between the parties involved. During the continuation of the trial, House prosecutors presented portions of Duterte's late-night online press conference in November 2024. Lotoc said the investigation found that Duterte directed expletives at Marcos, the First Lady, and Romualdez at least eight times. "To me, as the chief investigator at that time, the utterances made by the Vice President were serious, and the threat was real and actual," Lotoc said. "We considered the content and context of the utterances made by the VP on November 23, 2024, as well as the utterances made by the VP on October 18, 2024, and the reactions of the recipients and several government agencies," he added. Before Lotoc took the witness stand, House private prosecutor Amando Virgil Ligutan outlined what the prosecution sought to establish through the NBI official’s testimony. "Dineklara ng bise presidente na siya ay kumontrata na ng isang tao para patayin ang Pangulo ng Republika ng Pilipinas, ang Unang Ginang, at ang dating Speaker ng House of Representatives," Ligutan said. (Translation: "The Vice President declared that she had contracted a person to kill the President of the Republic of the Philippines, the First Lady, and the former Speaker of the House of Representatives.") Lotoc is the second witness presented by the House prosecution panel to testify on Article IV of the Articles of Impeachment, which concerns the alleged grave threats and assassination plot against the First Couple and Romualdez. Lotoc previously served as chief of the NBI Cybercrime Division, which investigated Duterte's late-night online press conference in November 2024.— with Sherylin Untalan/MCG/BM, GMA News