The House prosecution presented its second witness on Monday, as the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte entered its fourth day at the Senate impeachment court.
Prosecution counsel Atty. Amando Ligutan presented National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Regional Director Jeremy Lotoc as a witness for the fourth article of impeachment.
On Day 4 of the trial, the court will continue to tackle Article IV of the impeachment complaint, which refers to Duterte’s alleged grave threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker and Leyte Representative Martin Romualdez after she allegedly said that she had contracted someone to kill them if she were assassinated.
Lotoc, who heads the NBI in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), underwent direct examination before the Senate impeachment court as the prosecution resumed its presentation of witnesses during the second week of trial.
During the trial, Lotoc said the NBI began its investigation following Duterte’s remarks during an online press briefing on November 23, 2024.
The prosecution presented before the Senate a subpoena issued to Duterte in connection with the online press conference. Lotoc identified the document as a “faithful reproduction of the certified true copy” of the subpoena.
He also said the NBI issued subpoenas to journalists who were present during the press briefing.
As head of the investigation team, Lotoc testified that the NBI found Duterte’s alleged statements against Marcos, the First Lady, and Romualdez to be serious and to constitute a real and actual threat.
“To me, as chief investigator, the utterances made by the vice president were serious, and the threat was real and actual,” Lotoc said when asked about his assessment of Duterte’s statement that she had contracted an assassin.
Lotoc said the findings were included in the NBI’s investigation report. He explained that investigators considered the content and context of Duterte’s statements made on November 23, 2024, as well as the reactions of the alleged targets and various government agencies.
He also pointed to Duterte’s alleged instruction to the supposed hitman, saying the statement, “'Wag kang tumigil hanggang hindi mo sila mapapatay,” was "alarming."
According to Lotoc, such an instruction could potentially be exploited by other individuals or groups, especially if circumstances triggered the alleged order.
Lotoc further testified that the NBI investigation found an alleged intent on Duterte’s part to issue a threat to kill.
“Ulo ng presidente ‘yung gustong tanggalin ng Vice President,” he said.
The NBI official also described Duterte as “furious and fuming mad” in the video of the press briefing, saying she hurled insults against Marcos, the First Lady, and Romualdez several times.
“Malinaw po doon sa utterances ng Bise Presidente, even before the online press conference on November 23, 2024, the Vice President had already contracted a person to kill the President, Liza Marcos, and the former Speaker,” Lotoc testified.
