The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said it has established a “reasonable certainty of conviction” against Vice President Sara Duterte over allegations of inciting to sedition and multiple counts of grave threats stemming from statements she made in 2024.
The findings were presented during the final hearing of the House Committee on Justice on the determination of probable cause in connection with impeachment proceedings. The NBI submitted its affidavit detailing the investigation into remarks Duterte made during a virtual press conference on November 23, 2024.
In that briefing, Duterte publicly claimed she had arranged for an individual to carry out killings should harm come to her, naming President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former Speaker Martin Romualdez.
Reading portions of the affidavit, NBI lawyer Yentl Malicad told lawmakers that investigators found the elements of inciting to sedition to be present. She said Duterte was not a direct participant in any act of sedition, but had made statements deemed seditious through a public speech.
NBI agent John Mark Calilung also testified that the video of the press conference had been authenticated and verified as genuine, with no evidence of editing, splicing, or artificial manipulation. The footage was preserved with the cooperation of Meta after being livestreamed through the account of former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque.
Lawmakers pressed the bureau on whether Duterte’s statements also constitute grave threats. Malicad confirmed that, based on evidence submitted to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for preliminary investigation, the NBI concluded that the remarks fall under the crime of grave threats.
Akbayan Party-list Rep. Percival Cendaña emphasized that threatening harm or death is punishable under the law, noting that such conduct is especially concerning coming from a high-ranking public official. He said the complaint includes one count of inciting to sedition and three counts of grave threats.
Meanwhile, Akbayan Rep. Chel Diokno raised questions about the identity of the alleged individual Duterte referred to in her remarks. NBI Anti-Cybercrime Division chief Jeremy Lotoc said the bureau believes Duterte was referring to a single individual, though he declined to disclose further details.
FPJ Bayanihan Party-list Rep. Brian Poe underscored the gravity of the issue, saying the statements were not ordinary threats but remarks made by the country’s second-highest official, drawing attention from the international community and raising concerns about national stability.
He also cited a 2018 case in which a public school teacher was arrested by the Philippine National Police for making a similar threat against then-president Rodrigo Duterte, contrasting it with the current situation.
NBI Director Melvin Matibag confirmed the earlier case and stressed that the bureau treats all threats against public officials as serious offenses, regardless of whether they are later claimed to be jokes. He said this principle guided the filing of criminal complaints against Duterte, which are now pending before the justice department.
Former senator and ML Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima, who endorsed one of the impeachment complaints, described the allegations as among the most significant issues facing the committee. She said the case raises serious questions about leadership and accountability, noting the unprecedented nature of such statements from a sitting vice president.
The DOJ is currently conducting a preliminary investigation into the complaints filed by the NBI.