The National Bureau of Investigation has concluded that Vice President Sara Duterte’s November 2024 threat to have President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. killed was a deliberate act — not an offhand remark — and that she had actually engaged someone to carry it out.
NBI Director Melvin Matibag made the disclosure at a weekend press briefing in Quezon City, telling reporters that investigators have confirmed Duterte communicated with an individual for this purpose, though the person’s identity has yet to be established.
“So, we know that she really talked to someone, but we want to find out who is that person,” Matibag said.
The NBI chief said the agency is now working to determine not only who that person is, but also how far the plan had actually progressed.
“What we know – and this is based on our own findings – that (kill threat in November 2024) was something (they would like to appear) … as a spur of the moment, that it was just metaphor or hyperbole. But that was planned, actually,” Matibag said.
The threat itself was made during a late-night press conference in November 2024, when Duterte stated she had spoken to someone about killing Marcos, First Lady Liza Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, should anything happen to her. She made the statement twice and explicitly said it was not a joke — the remarks came shortly after her chief of staff, Zuleika Lopez, had been taken into custody.
The disclosure carries weight beyond the NBI’s ongoing investigation. The kill threat is among the central charges cited in two impeachment complaints filed against Duterte in the House of Representatives. The House justice committee has already found both complaints sufficient in form, substance, and grounds, and is now conducting hearings to assess whether probable cause exists to send the case to the Senate for trial. The other charges involve allegations of unexplained wealth and the misuse of confidential funds.
Matibag and other NBI officials are scheduled to appear before the House justice committee on April 29, where the alleged threat is expected to be taken up as a formal agenda item.
