Sara Duterte Impeachment Trial: NBI Director Testifies on 'Serious' Threats

MANILA, Philippines – The Senate impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte resumed Monday with the prosecution presenting its second witness, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Regional Director Jeremy Lotoc, who testified that Duterte’s alleged threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez were “serious” and not protected by freedom of speech. Lotoc, who previously headed the NBI Cybercrime Division that investigated the case, told the impeachment court that the bureau found sufficient basis to investigate Duterte’s statements, saying she herself admitted having spoken to a supposed assassin before her Nov. 23, 2024 online press conference. He also testified that the NBI is mandated by law to investigate threats against the country’s high officials. Lotoc the impeachment court that Duterte’s alleged threats fall outside the protection of freedom of speech, saying that it protects lawful expression but does not protect utterances that satisfy the elements of criminal offense. A notable courtroom moment arose when private prosecutor Amando Virgil Ligutan began questioning Lotoc in Waray, prompting an objection from defense counsel Mark Vinluan, who said he could not understand the language and asked that all statements be made in Filipino or English. Senator-Judge Bam Aquino questioned the defense on its position that Duterte never hired a hitman, asking whether that meant her statements during the November 2024 briefing were untrue. Defense counsel Mark Vinluan maintained that the vice president did not contract an assassin. Separately, the prosecution drew a parallel to the 2020 case of public school teacher Ronnel Mas, who was swiftly arrested for placing a bounty on former President Rodrigo Duterte, to argue that the VP’s threats should be treated similarly. On other fronts, the defense announced it will present witnesses to prove the existence of the so-called “Operation Romanov,” an alleged plot targeting Duterte and her family, with defense lawyer Vinluan confirming this would be part of their evidence in chief. The prosecution’s bid to call NBI Director Melvin Matibag a day ahead of schedule was deferred after senator-judges and the defense objected, with his testimony now set for July 20. Malacañang, meanwhile, pushed back against Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte’s claim that the impeachment was a three-year plan to block Sara Duterte from the 2028 elections, with Palace press officer Claire Castro saying that if such a plan had been known in advance, the VP should have exercised greater caution in handling her confidential funds. Proceedings also drew attention after several senator-judges briefly left the session hall while Lotoc was on the witness stand. Senator-Judge Alan Peter Cayetano was out of the session hall for nearly an hour before returning, while Senator-Judge Robin Padilla also stepped out during the proceedings. The trial will resume on Tuesday, July 14. Sources: Editor’s note: This update was generated with the aid of artificial intelligence based on Inquirer.net, Philippine Daily Inquirer and Cebu Daily News articles and reviewed by a human editor./ dp