By Ellson Quismorio
Vice President Sara Duterte has the capacity to execute her alleged death threat against President Marcos, according to National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag.
Testifying on Tuesday, July 21, at Duterte’s Senate impeachment trial, Matibag said investigators assessed her ability to act on the threat using a methodology patterned after the U.S. Secret Service.
Matibag explained that the evaluation focused not on whether the threat had already been carried out, but on whether Duterte possessed the means to do so.
He cited her position as Vice President, her political network, access to resources, and the influence of the Duterte family as factors that gave her the capability.
The assessment also considered firearms, financial resources, and the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group (VPSPG), which Matibag claimed was at Duterte’s disposal.
The NBI chief further revealed that Duterte herself had publicly declared in November 2024 that she had tapped an assassin to kill President Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta‑Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez should she be slain.
Matibag confirmed that the task force has already identified “persons of interest” connected to the alleged assassin, though he declined to name them to protect informants and preserve the integrity of the ongoing investigation.
The findings on Duterte’s capability formed one of five factors examined by the NBI special task force, alongside her alleged pattern of violence, the gravity of the threat, identity, and motive or intent.
