NATIONAL Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag said over the weekend he is convinced that the 2024 threat by Vice President Sara Z. Duterte to kill President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. was allegedly “planned,” not a metaphor or offhand remark, and that she had spoken to another person about carrying it out.
Speaking at the weekly Saturday News Forum at Dapo Restaurant in Quezon City, Matibag said the NBI is pressing ahead with its investigation and is actively tracking down the individual the Vice President allegedly contacted to kill the President.
“What we know, ito [ang sinasabi] namin sa findings namin, is something na ginawa niya na spur of the moment na parang sasabihin na ano lang siya, metaphor lang siya, hyperbole lang. That is planned, actually,” Matibag said.
“So alam namin na meron talagang kinausap, but we want to find out who is that person,” he added.
In a live press conference in late November 2024, Duterte said she had spoken to someone to kill the President, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and then-speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez if anything happened to her. She said it was not a joke.
The incident has since become one of the most serious charges cited in the impeachment complaints against her, alongside allegations involving her unexplained wealth and misuse of confidential funds.
The House Committee on Justice has found the complaints sufficient in form, substance, and grounds and is now conducting hearings to determine whether probable cause exists to elevate the case to the Senate.
The panel is set to take up the alleged threat in its April 29 hearing, where Matibag and other NBI officials are expected to testify as resource persons.
Matibag said the NBI is working to establish the identity of the person Duterte allegedly spoke with and to determine whether the threat progressed beyond words.
He said law enforcement remains on high alert for threats against the President, including those made in real time, citing a recent incident where a comment calling to shoot the President was posted during a live event and is now being investigated.
Matibag warned of a dangerous shift in public behavior, where explicit calls for violence are increasingly brushed off as metaphor.
“Nakakatakot po kasi ‘yung sitwasyon natin … Parang it’s so easy to say, ‘barilin mo yung taong ‘yan, patayin mo ‘yung taong ‘yan,’ di ba? ‘Kunin mo ‘yung ulo ng tao na ‘yan,’ tapos nagsasabi lang, “This is all metaphor, wala kaming intensyon,’” he said.
“But if you will investigate and look at the behavior and the pattern, mukhang hindi ito ordinary metaphor. That is actually a threat,” he added.
He said authorities are particularly concerned about statements that could incite others to carry out illegal acts.
“And they’re trying to rally people behind them to do something that is bad, that is illegal. And we of the law enforcement do not allow that to happen,” Matibag said.
He said the investigation is ongoing as the NBI works to determine the full scope of the alleged plot, identify all individuals involved, and assess whether criminal charges may be pursued.
