Senator Imee Marcos on Monday raised eyebrows over the chronological consistency of the National Bureau of Investigation’s (NBI) probe into Vice President Sara Duterte regarding her alleged death threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
Speaking on the fourth day of Duterte’s impeachment trial, Marcos pointed out a glaring mismatch between the formal order directing the NBI to investigate and a subpoena sent to media giant ABS-CBN.
She highlighted that while the actual probe was ordered on November 23, 2024, following the Vice President’s virtual media briefing on November 24, 2024, the subpoena brought before the court bore an earlier date of November 6, 2024.
“Ang pinagtataka ko, kung inutusan kayo ng Nov. 23 na magkaroon ng imbestigasyon, bakit napakaaga, Nov. 6, 2024 a subpoena was issued to ABS-CBN requiring them to submit an authenticated copy of the video pertaining to the 18 Oct. press con?” Marcos asked NBI Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Director Jeremy Lotoc.
The senator further pressed whether this scheduling conflict implied that the government had placed the Vice President under state surveillance well before any official investigation had been authorized.
“Ang ibig bang sabihin Nov. 6 pa lang minamanmanan na si Vice President? Iniimbestigahan na siya bago pa yung Zoom conference sa Kongreso?” Marcos added.
Responding to the allegations, Lotoc clarified that the confusion stemmed entirely from a clerical oversight on the paperwork.
He stated that the document sent to ABS-CBN News and other press outlets covering the briefing should have read December 11, 2024, instead of November 6.
“That’s a typo, yung date. Kasi makikita doon yung date nung appearance ng taga-ABS-CBN, consistent doon sa ibang na-issue-han ng supboena,” Lotoc explained.
Lotoc was called forward by the House prosecution team to testify concerning the fourth article of impeachment against Duterte. This specific charge accuses the Vice President of inciting sedition and making grave threats by orchestrating a plot against the lives of the President, the First Lady, and the former House Speaker.