Third day of the impeachment trial against VP Sara Duterte. The defense led by Atty. Carlo Narvasa started to cross-examine the first witness of prosecution, NBI Senior Agent John Mark Calilung. Screengrab from Senate of the Philippines/YouTube. July 8, 2026.
Malacañang on Thursday pushed back against suggestions that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had a role in the National Bureau of Investigation’s probe into Vice President Sara Duterte’s alleged threats against him and two other officials.
Palace press officer Claire Castro criticized the line raised by Duterte’s defense during the impeachment trial, describing it as a weak argument.
During Wednesday’s proceedings before the Senate impeachment court, defense lawyer Carlo Narvasa questioned the NBI investigation into Duterte’s remarks against Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former Speaker Martin Romualdez.
Narvasa appeared to point out that the NBI operates under the Department of Justice, which is part of the executive branch headed by the President.
Castro said linking Marcos to the investigation through that argument was unfair and unfounded.
She said the Department of Justice has long been under the executive branch, but stressed that the NBI has its own mandate to investigate threats involving the President.
Castro, who is also a trial lawyer, said the alleged threat was publicly seen and involved not only Marcos but also the first lady and the former speaker.
During cross-examination, NBI senior agent John Mark Calilung confirmed that he had no personal knowledge of Marcos, Araneta-Marcos or Romualdez filing criminal complaints, prompting Narvasa to question whether the case had truly been investigated before prosecutors objected.