Palace dismisses Sara Duterte lawyers' doubts on NBI impartiality 

Malacañang on Tuesday rejected claims of Vice President Sara Duterte's lawyers that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) could not conduct an impartial investigation into her alleged threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. because the bureau is under the Department of Justice (DOJ), which is part of the executive branch.

During a Balitanghali interview, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the defense lawyers themselves should understand the NBI’s legal mandate as she questioned why they were only raising the issue now.

“Unang-una naman, lawyer naman sila at alam naman nila kung ano ba ang mandato ng NBI at alam naman nila na ito ay nasa Department of Justice,” she said.

(First of all, they're lawyers and they know the NBI's mandate, and that it is under the Department of Justice.)

Castro stressed that the issue was not the agency conducting the investigation but the statements made by the Vice President, which, she said, were publicly available.

“So saan sila duda doon? Kasi hindi naman maikakaila na totoo naman nagkaroon ng pagsasalita at pagbabanta ang Bise Presidente laban sa Pangulo, kay First Lady at kay dating House Speaker,” she said.

(What are they doubtful about? It cannot be denied that the Vice President made statements and threats against the President, the First Lady, and the former House Speaker.)

She added that the public had already seen and heard Duterte’s remarks.

“So ano pang ikakaila doon? Kitang-kita na ng taumbayan kung ano ba ang ginawa ng Bise Presidente. So ano pa ang masasabi nilang duda sa pag-iimbestiga? Kasi kung duda sila, dapat noon pa sila nagreklamo,” Castro said.

(What is there left to deny? The public has already seen what the Vice President did. So why are they only now questioning the investigation? If they had doubts, they should have raised them earlier.)

The Palace official was responding to arguments raised by Duterte’s defense panel during the Senate impeachment trial, where they questioned the impartiality of the NBI investigation because the bureau is attached to the DOJ, which is under the Office of the President.

The issue surfaced as the prosecution presented NBI-BARMM Regional Director Jeremy Lotoc as a witness on Monday.

Sara Duterte impeachment trial Day 4: 'Operation Romanov,' no valid info on alleged hitman

Lotoc testified that investigators evaluated the Vice President’s statements based on four factors: the manner in which the remarks were delivered, their literal meaning, the nature of the instruction, and the relationship between the parties involved.

He said investigators also examined the reactions of the intended recipients and various government agencies before concluding that Duterte had the intent, motive, and capability to carry out the alleged threats.

Lotoc further told the impeachment court that, based on the NBI’s findings, the bureau believes Duterte committed the crimes of grave threats and inciting to sedition. —AOL, GMA News