National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag told the House Committee on Justice on Wednesday, April 29, that Vice President Sara Duterte’s alleged death threat against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. “has long been established” by the bureau.
Matibag said the NBI had already verified the existence of grave threats and inciting to sedition, noting that “all the elements are present” and that the agency sees a “reasonable certainty of conviction.”
He added that the bureau is awaiting the prosecution’s decision.
During the hearing, Matibag confirmed that Duterte herself had claimed in a video that she had “hired an assassin” to kill Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and then-House Speaker Martin Romualdez if she were slain.
The video, authenticated by NBI agents, was played multiple times before the committee.
Pressed by lawmakers, Matibag explained that the follow-up investigation is focused on verifying the identity of the alleged assassin.
NBI Anti-Cybercrime Division Chief Jeremy Lotoc said the bureau believes Duterte was referring to a specific individual, based on conversations reviewed in their affidavit.
“Definitely we believe she spoke to someone, and there is an assassin assigned,” Lotoc told the panel.
The NBI submitted affidavits confirming that the video was genuine, unaltered, and preserved with cooperation from Meta.
Investigators stressed that the statements met the criteria for inciting to sedition: uttered publicly, seditious in nature, and delivered through speech.
Despite denials from Duterte’s camp, the bureau maintained that the assassin claim is a critical lead in its ongoing probe. (Ellson Quismorio)
