NBI finds no relevant threats against Sara Duterte

MANILA, Philippines – The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) found no relevant information regarding threats against the life of Vice President Sara Duterte, an NBI official testified at her impeachment trial on Tuesday, July 14. “Noong triny namin i-check ‘yon, your honor, nakita lang naming relevant information as to the security ‘yong pagbabawas ng 75 personnel from the VPSPG (Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group) if I’m not mistaken,” NBI Bangsamoro chief Jeremy Lotoc said during the fifth day of the trial. (When we checked the security issue, your honor, the only relevant information that we discovered was the removal of 75 personnel from the VPSPG, if I’m not mistaken.) Lotoc was the former NBI cybercrime official who probed into the Vice President’s infamous Zoom press briefing where she allegedly threatened President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his family. In 2024, the Philippine National Police removed 75 cops as Duterte’s security personnel, citing shortage of personnel for ground duties. “Other than those facts, wala kaming makitang relevant na security issue dahil ‘yon nga, hindi naman nag-appear ang Bise Presidente. Hindi naman sila nagbigay ng any information na puwede naming pagsimulan po,” Lotoc added. (Other than those facts, we did not discover any relevant security issue because as I said, the Vice President did not appear before the NBI. They did not also give relevant information that can help us for our leads.) The issue on Duterte’s security was in the spotlight because this is one of her defenses against the fourth article of impeachment — grave threats against the Marcos couple. The defense earlier claimed that grave threat is not an impeachable offense. They also argued that Duterte was pushed to the edge due to the so-called “Operation Romanov” or threats against her and family, and to her chief-of-staff Zuleika Lopez. During the trial however, Lotoc, in response to Senator-judge Raffy Tulfo, clarified that it was Davao City Mayor Baste Duterte who first referenced the Romanovs while criticizing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during a public event in January 2024. Sara Duterte threats vs Marcos justified, defense says. Are they really? The defense also floated the alleged bias of the NBI in the context of investigating alleged threats against high-ranking officials, noting that the bureau conducted a thorough probe into the threats against Marcos, but not so much in the case of the Vice President. However, Lotoc already said on Tuesday that the NBI conducted a motu proprio (on their own) investigation, too, for the Vice President, but found no concrete threat. “Again, since wala kaming validated information, wala kaming nakitang confirmed doon sa allegation at threats against her life, wala kaming napagsimulan (Again, since we did not find validated information, we did not confirm anything on the allegation and the threats against her life, we did not start any proceedings),” the NBI official said. Defense spokesperson Michael Poa told reporters on Tuesday that it’s importance to point out bias “because obviously bias affects everything that goes on in an investigation.” – Rappler.com