NBI: Typo errors don't alter findings vs. Sara Duterte

MANILA, Philippines — National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Regional Director Jeremy Lotoc on Tuesday asserted that supposed inconsistencies found in the bureau’s documents do not at all affect its findings that Vice President Sara Duterte committed the crimes of grave threats and inciting to sedition. Lotoc, who serves as the House prosecution panel’s second witness against Vice President Sara Duterte in her impeachment trial, made the pronouncement during the cross examination of Duterte’s defense team where he was asked to authenticate documents concerning the NBI’s investigation and complaints against Duterte. In one of the affidavits presented by Duterte’s counsel Mark Vinluan, the lawyer pointed out a typographical error on the number of counts of grave threats recommended to be filed by the NBI against Duterte stemming from the alleged kill plot she herself revealed during an online press conference against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., first lady Liza Marcos and Speaker Martin Romualdez. In doing so, Vinluan asked: “With all these infirmities … don’t you think these errors constituted violations of due process?” But Lotoc maintained that as they were merely typographical errors, they had no effect on their findings against Duterte. “The existence of these typographical errors does not alter the fact that the video exists [and] does not alter the fact that the Vice President uttered those statements,” said Lotoc. “[It] does not alter the fact that the NBI has findings, and ang findings nila (and their findings were), the Vice President committed the crime of grave threat and inciting to sedition,” he added. Meanwhile, during the prosecution panel’s redirection, Lotoc defined typographical oversights as errors not substantial enough to affect the case a document refers to, particularly typo errors on spelling, dates, as well as case numbers. Private prosecutor Amando Virgil Ligutan also once again asked Lotoc to explain how such errors could affect the NBI’s findings—to which Lotoc responded: “They don’t have any effect at all insofar as the findings of the NBI are concerned,” said Lotoc. This, he said, included typographical errors on subpoenas, affidavits and even docket numbers. “No effect at all. Hindi ho na-alter ‘yung utterances ng bise-presidente (it does not alter the utterances of the Vice President,” the NBI executive said. The Senate impeachment court is currently tackling Article IV of the impeachment complaints against Duterte, which involve the kill plot the vice president herself revealed against Marcos, his wife and cousin. The entire trial is expected to run for 92 days, which means it may still extend until early 2027.