NBI to summon VP Sara over ‘threat’ to PBBM as gov’t mounts probe

Vice President Sara Duterte (Photo: Office of the Vice President of the Philippines/Facebook)

MANILA – The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) will summon Vice President Sara Duterte as the government mounts an investigation over her “kill order” against President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

In a Palace press briefing Monday, NBI Director Jaime Santiago said the agency has already started investigating the Vice President’s online threat.

Santiago said the NBI has asked social media giant Facebook to preserve the video for the ongoing investigation, adding that the video was authentic and not AI (artificial intelligence)-generated.

According to Justice Undersecretary Jesse Andres, the investigation will be immediate and will be dealt with the “full force of the law,” considering that the threat involves the life of the highest official of the land.

“Ang imbestigasyon po na gagawin ng gobyerno ukol sa bagay na ito ay agaran. Importante pong malaman kung ano ang mga naging hakbang para kumuha ng serbisyo ng isang mamamatay tao na nagpaplano ng masama sa ating Mahal na Pangulo (The investigation that the government will do on this matter is immediate. It is important to know what steps were taken to hire the services of a murderer who is planning to harm our President),” Andres said.

“Gagawin po ng NBI ang lahat ng hakbang para matunton ang identity nito, kasama ang pag-issue ng subpoena kay Vice President Sara na humarap sa NBI para bigyang kaliwanagan ang kanyang mga pananalita (The NBI will take all steps to trace the assassin’s identity, including the issuance of a subpoena to Vice President Sara to appear before the NBI to clarify her statements),” he added.

In a pre-dawn news conference aired live on social media on Nov. 23, Duterte uttered curses at the President, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

She issued the supposed threat while she was at the House of Representatives accompanying her chief of staff, lawyer Zuleika Lopez, who was detained for failing to respond to questions regarding the misuse of funds at the Vice President’s office during a legislative inquiry.

Duterte claimed she had already contracted someone to assassinate the President, the First Lady, and House Speaker if the supposed plot to kill her were to succeed.

Prosecutor General Richard Fadullon said Duterte’s previous remarks will also be taken into consideration.

Last month, Duterte said she has imagined herself beheading the President.

The Justice official also said several cases may also be filed against the Vice President, including a sedition case.