NBI-BARMM Dir. Jeremy Lotoc. Photo courtesy of Senate of the Philippines/YouTube.
National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Regional Director Jeremy Lotoc acknowledged on Tuesday that he had no personal knowledge that Vice President Sara Duterte had hired someone to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., but maintained that investigators reached that conclusion based on evidence gathered during the probe.
During his continued cross-examination before the Senate impeachment court, defense lawyer Mark Vinluan repeatedly asked Lotoc whether he personally knew that Duterte had contracted someone to kill the President, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
Lotoc replied that while he did not have direct personal knowledge, the NBI believed Duterte had contracted an individual based on the findings of its investigation and the evidence it had collected.
Lotoc headed the NBI investigation into Duterte’s statements made during her Nov. 23, 2024 online press briefing, which became the basis for Article IV of the impeachment complaint.
The hearing also saw exchanges between the prosecution and defense after Vinluan questioned Lotoc about Duterte’s allegations of corruption against several lawmakers mentioned in the same video.
After Lotoc confirmed only the existence of Duterte’s statements and not the truth of the allegations, Vinluan suggested that the witness had admitted the accusations were true. Prosecutor Amando Ligutan immediately objected, saying the witness’s testimony had been mischaracterized.
Presiding officer Senator-judge Francis Escudero intervened and reminded both camps to maintain order, saying the impeachment court was not a “college debate.” He also instructed Lotoc to give complete and precise answers to avoid confusion.
When asked again whether he had personal knowledge of the alleged hired killer, Lotoc answered that he did not. He nevertheless reiterated that the NBI believed Duterte’s statement about hiring someone was supported by the evidence gathered during its investigation.
