The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said it is pursuing a lead in its ongoing probe into the alleged threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.
Speaking at a news forum in Quezon City, NBI Director Melvin Matibag said details of the lead would be disclosed at the appropriate time, as the investigation remains ongoing.
Matibag also confirmed that NBI officials will attend the next hearing of the House Committee on Justice, which is looking into the alleged threats made by Vice President Sara Duterte in 2024.
The NBI chief said the agency continues efforts to identify the alleged hitman Duterte claimed to have contacted.
“Alam namin na mayroon talagang kinausap, but we want to find out who that person is. It is a continuing investigation; hinahanap pa rin natin based on what we know,” he said.
Initial findings, he added, indicate that the statement may not have been made impulsively.
“Kung sabihin namin sa findings namin na spur of the moment lang iyon, na metaphor lang o hyperbole, it appears that it was actually planned,” Matibag said.
He noted that Duterte’s remarks prompted tighter security measures for the President, including enhanced monitoring of online threats. The NBI cited a recent incident in which a social media user posted “barilin na ’yan” during a live event featuring the President, warning that charges would be filed once the individual is identified.
The House justice panel had earlier issued a subpoena requiring the NBI to present the results of its investigation. The motion was raised by Bukidnon Rep. John Keith Flores during impeachment proceedings against Duterte.
The next hearing is scheduled for April 29.
During an online briefing on November 23, 2024, Duterte said she had ordered someone to kill Marcos, the First Lady, and then-Speaker Romualdez if an alleged plot against her were carried out.
The NBI subsequently recommended the filing of a complaint against Duterte in February 2025 over the remarks.
Duterte later clarified that her statements were not meant as a threat, saying she was highlighting an alleged danger to her own security and that her remarks had been “maliciously taken out of logical context.”
