NBI Director Melvin Matibag testifies before the Senate impeachment court during the House prosecution’s presentation of evidence under Article IV against Vice President Sara Duterte. Photo courtesy of the Senate of the Philippines/YouTube.
National Bureau of Investigation Director Melvin Matibag told the Senate impeachment court that he is “100 percent” certain Vice President Sara Duterte had spoken to someone about killing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
Answering Sen. Bam Aquino, Matibag said his assessment was based on Duterte’s own November 2024 statement that she had contacted a person who agreed to carry out the killings if she herself were assassinated, although the NBI had not yet determined that individual’s identity.
He said investigators had identified several persons of interest who could help trace the alleged contact, but their names could not be disclosed because premature disclosure could violate their privacy and prejudice the continuing investigation.
Matibag, the prosecution’s final witness under Article IV, said the NBI no longer treated Duterte’s remarks as a mere threat and had formed a special task force in April to examine what it considered a serious, active and continuing assassination plan with national security implications.
“Our observation is that this is no longer merely a threat but a plan,” Matibag said in Filipino after explaining that investigators reviewed Duterte’s Oct. 18 and Nov. 23, 2024 online press conferences, including her remarks about removing the President’s head and her later claim that she had instructed someone to kill the three officials.
Prosecutors also showed footage of Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte declaring during an April RAGE Coalition rally, “Isang ulo lang ang kailangan namin, ulo ni Bongbong Marcos,” which Matibag said was examined because of its similarity to the Vice President’s earlier statements and its possible relevance to a conspiracy.
Matibag further testified that the Vice President’s remarks had produced what he called a “kinetic effect” by encouraging supporters to issue similar threats.
Investigators also examined footage of Duterte striking a court sheriff during a 2011 demolition operation and materials linked to former police officer and self-confessed member of Davao Death Squad (DDS) Arturo Lascañas as part of their review of an alleged pattern of violence.
Matibag clarified that one Lascañas-related document was unsigned, not under oath and obtained from open sources, while Presiding Officer Francis Escudero stressed that it was considered only to explain the NBI’s investigation and not to prove its allegations.Investigators also examined footage of Duterte striking a court sheriff during a 2011 demolition operation and materials linked to former police officer Arturo Lascañas, although Presiding Officer Francis Escudero clarified that an unsigned, open-source document was admitted only to explain the scope of the NBI investigation and not to establish the truth of its contents.