NBI: VP Sara may be convicted for sedition, grave threats

By Jose Cielito Reganit, Philippine News Agency

Vice President Sara Duterte (Inday Sara Duterte/facebook)

MANILA – The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has found a “reasonable certainty of conviction” against Vice President Sara Duterte for inciting to sedition and multiple counts of grave threats, based on statements she made in a Nov. 23, 2024 press conference.

During the House Committee on Justice’s final impeachment hearing on the determination of probable cause, the NBI submitted an affidavit of its investigation into the alleged death threats the Vice President made at a virtual press conference against President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former Speaker Martin Romualdez.

Reading the affidavit, lawyer Yentl Malicad of the NBI said the bureau had properly established the three elements of inciting to sedition: that Duterte was not a direct participant in the act of sedition itself; that she did utter seditious statements; and that the statements were made through speech.

NBI agent John Mark Calilung also confirmed to the committee that the bureau had verified and authenticated the video of the online press conference, ensuring it was an accurate and unaltered record of what transpired, with no edits, splices, or artificial intelligence generation.

He added that Meta had complied with the bureau’s request to preserve the video, which had been livestreamed by the account of former presidential spokesperson Atty. Harry Roque.

Akbayan Party-list Rep. Percival Cendaña then asked the NBI whether its investigation also found that the vice president’s acts constituted grave threats, which Malicad confirmed.

He stressed that threatening to harm or kill any person is a crime, and that the Vice President, of all people, is expected to know this.

With the complaint charging Duterte with one count of inciting to sedition and three counts of grave threats, Cendaña said it is unacceptable for a public official of her rank to behave in such a manner and face no consequences.

“Kung hindi tama ang ugaling ito para sa second highest official of the land, mas lalo hindi po ito karapatdapat para sa isang tao nag-a-ambisyon na maging highest official of the land. Grave threat, inciting to sedition, sinasabi ng NBI ginawa po yan ni VP Sara (If this behavior is unbecoming for the second-highest official of the land, more so for a person aspiring to be the highest official of the land. Grave threat, inciting to sedition, the NBI says that VP Sara did both),” he said.

Akbayan Party-list Rep. Chel Diokno also asked whether the NBI had been able to identify the individual Duterte claimed to have contracted.

NBI Anti-Cybercrime Division Chief Jeremy Lotoc said that while he could not divulge specific details of the investigation, the bureau believes the person Duterte mentioned is one and the same individual.

“Definitely we believe na mayroon siyang kinausap at mayroon assassin na nakaassign, base po sa conversation. Based sa aming affidavit (that she had contacted someone and that an assassin has been assigned, based on the conversation. Based on our affidavit), VP Sara is referring to one and the same person,” he said.

FPJ Bayanihan Party-list Rep. Brian Poe also pointed out that the NBI’s authentication and complaint underscore how Duterte’s statements were no ordinary threats, which drew condemnation from the global community.

“The reason why I bring this up is because this is no ordinary threat. This is a threat by the Vice President against the President of the Republic of the Philippines, and people around the world took note of that, questioning our stability and our national security,” he said.

He drew a sharp contrast with a 2018 case in which a public school teacher who made a similar threat online against then-President Rodrigo Roa Duterte was arrested by the Philippine National Police.

The Vice President, he noted, remains free.

“This committee has to take into consideration that moment in 2018 because we are sending a message with the decision that we make today on probable cause,” he added.

NBI Director Melvin Matibag confirmed the 2018 case and stressed that the bureau treats all threats against public officials as serious, whether they are claimed to be jokes or not.

It was precisely for this reason, he said, that the NBI decided to file criminal complaints against the Vice President over her remarks in 2024.

“The point is, why are we saying this is because we in the law enforcement, the National Bureau of Investigation, consider all the threats to the President and to any official of the government a serious threat,” Matibag said.

“Hindi po ito pwede biro biro and ‘yung mga pinakita pong video kanina diyan, ‘yan po ay pinag-aralan at naging parte ng pagdedesisyon ng National Bureau of Investigation para maghabla ng isang criminal case po kay Vice President Sara Duterte na ngayon nakapending sa Department of Justice (This cannot be taken as a joke, and the video just shown was scrutinized and formed part of the decision-making of the NBI to charge Vice President Duterte with a criminal case that is now pending before the DOJ),” he said.

Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima, endorser of the third impeachment complaint, said she believes the allegations of grave threats and inciting to sedition are among the “most important” charges, as they offer the committee a window into the true character and moral fiber of the Vice President.

“Never before in the entire history of the world has a sitting vice president threatened to kill the president and his wife on (a) livestreaming video for the whole Filipino nation and even the world to watch. It finally reveals Sara Duterte at her most transparent and unfiltered moment,” she said.