NBI considered possible conspiracy in threats vs. Marcos — Matibag

National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag on Tuesday said the bureau considered the possibility of a conspiracy involving Vice President Sara Duterte and Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, noting that both had made remarks referring to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s head.

Matibag made the statement as he took the witness stand during the continuation of the Vice President’s impeachment trial.

“Kapansin-pansin po na makikita natin na nanggagaling sa isang pamilya ang pagbabanta sa ating Pangulo. At parehas na nagre-refer sa ulo ng Pangulo," he said.

(It is noteworthy that we can see the threats against our President coming from the same family. And both of them refer to the President’s head.)

"Kung kaya naman inisip po ba namin kung meron bang kasabwat o may sabwatan sa pangyayaring ito,” Matibag added.

(That is why we also considered whether there was an accomplice or a conspiracy behind this incident.)

Matibag was called in as a prosecution witness on Article IV of the Articles of Impeachment Duterte, which concerns her alleged assassination threats against President Marcos, the First Lady and then-House Speaker Martin Romualdez, as well as allegations that she incited sedition through her public statements.

READ: Who is Melvin Matibag?

The NBI director recalled that the Vice President previously said she had instructed someone to kill the First Couple and Romualdez if an alleged plot against her succeeded.

“Sapagkat gaya po ng aking binanggit na noong November 23, binanggit po ng ating bise presidente na meron na siyang kinausap para pumatay sa ating pangulo at pumayag siya. Kaya ito po ang amin pong tinutukan sa task force na aming tinatag,” he said.

(Because, as I mentioned, on November 23, our Vice President said that she had already spoken to someone to kill our President, and that person agreed. That is what the task force we created focused on.)

During a rally in April, Sebastian Duterte said they only wanted Marcos’ “head” while discussing alleged corruption in the country.

Matibag also recalled that the Vice President had previously spoken about wanting to “cut off his head.”

According to Matibag, Sara Duterte’s statement that she had instructed someone to kill Marcos indicated that there was already a “plan,” rather than merely a threat.

“Ang obserbasyon po namin dito ay hindi na po itong banta kung hindi isang plano. Sapagkat ang tingin po namin dito ay inanunsyo ng ating bise presidente ang kanyang planong pagpatay sa Pangulo ng Pilipinas at mga nabanggit pang gustong ipapatay doon sa kanyang press conference,” he said.

(Our observation is that this is no longer merely a threat but a plan. We believe that our Vice President announced her plan to kill the President of the Philippines, as well as the other individuals she said she wanted killed during her press conference.)

Matibag is the prosecution’s final witness in its presentation of evidence on the Article of Impeachment involving the alleged grave threats made by the Vice President against Marcos.

He also cited the remarks made by the Duterte siblings in explaining why the NBI created a special task force to investigate the alleged threats against Marcos.

The NBI director said a threat to Marcos’ life also constitutes a threat to national security. — MCG, GMA News