NATIONAL Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag told the Senate impeachment court on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, that the agency no longer considers Vice President Sara Duterte's alleged threat against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as a mere threat, saying investigators now view it as a “plan” to kill the highest official of the country.
Testifying during the eighth day of Duterte's impeachment trial, Matibag said the NBI's assessment from a law enforcement perspective had changed as investigators uncovered additional information beyond the Vice President's earlier public statements.
Matibag said the NBI created a special investigation task force to conduct an in-depth investigation on the threats against the life of Marcos following the remarks made by Duterte.
He said the agency also considers the alleged plot not only a threat to the President but also a matter affecting national security.
The NBI chief said the investigation of the task force included the remarks delivered by Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte during a rally organized by the Rage Coalition on April 12, 2026, when the mayor allegedly declared that “isang ulo lang naman ang kailangan namin at yan ang ulo ni Bongbong Marcos (We only need one head, and that is Bongbong Marcos' head).”
Matibag said investigators compared those statements with previous public remarks made by Vice President Duterte, including an October 18 statement in which she allegedly referred to wanting to remove the President's head.
He told the impeachment court that investigators found similarities in the language used by the two officials, noting that both statements came from members of the same family and focused on references to the President's head.
“Kapansin-pansin na makikita natin na nanggagaling sa isang pamilya ang pagbabanta sa ating Pangulo (It is noticeable that the threats against our President are coming from one family),” Matibag said, adding that the NBI considered the possibility of conspiracy based on the circumstances they examined.
The NBI director further argued that the Vice President's statements had influenced some supporters, describing the effect as a "kinetic force" that allegedly encouraged others to issue similar threats against the President.
Matibag also established the pattern of violence by Vice President Duterte, citing an incident in 2011 where she, as the mayor of Davao City, punched a court sheriff during a demolition operation in Barangay Soliman, Agdao District, Davao City.
The NBI chief said the task force noted in its report the capability of Vice President Duterte to have her plan to kill Marcos executed considering her network of connections, the number of firearms she and her family own and their financial capability.
Matibag said they already have leads and persons of interest that could provide them vital information on the individual allegedly contracted by the Vice President to kill Marcos.
He refused, however, to provide more details on the matter as investigation remains ongoing. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)