VP summoned by prosecutor on grave threats, sedition

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte has been summoned by the Office of the Prosecutor for a preliminary investigation on her case of inciting to sedition and grave threats filed by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in connection with her assassination threats against President Marcos and his family.

Duterte confirmed Tuesday night in an interview in Southern Leyte that she received the summons earlier that day.

The NBI filed the cases last February after months of investigating her over her threat to have the President, First Lady Liza Marcos and Speaker Martin Romualdez assassinated.

She made the threat live on video in late November 2024. She even stressed her threat was no joke. But she would later claim she was taken out of context.

Prosecutor General Richard Anthony Fadullon said Duterte is required to appear on May 9 and 16.

In an interview with “Storycon” on One News, NBI Director Jaime Santiago said Duterte “will be given a chance by the DOJ to respond to the charges.”

Asked about the supposed threats received by the Vice President, Santiago said they were not able to gather any concrete evidence because Duterte did not cooperate with their investigation.

“It was just the things she said before the media. We did not have any concrete evidence to file a case in her behalf,” he added.

Originally, she was investigated for grave threats and for violating the Anti-Terrorism Act.

Since the NBI started investigating Duterte, she had been saying that she was prepared for the “worst case scenario,” including getting slapped with non-bailable charges or convicted in an impeachment trial, or getting arrested by the International Criminal Court for complicity in the crimes against humanity, for which her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, is awaiting trial in The Hague.

Duterte had skipped all of the NBI’s invitations, saying it would not have mattered anyway as the Marcos administration had already allegedly predetermined the filing of the complaints.

The Vice President had cast doubts on the fairness of the NBI investigation, stressing how the President had declared that he would not allow criminal acts to go unpunished.

Duterte said last year that she did not regret revealing having tapped a person to “take revenge” on Marcos, his wife Liza and Speaker Martin Romualdez.

Meanwhile, Duterte also said she was not surprised by the Department of Justice’s decision to file trafficking charges against former presidential spokesman Harry Roque for his alleged involvement in a Philippine offshore gaming operator hub in Porac, Pampanga.

“It’s not a surprise. Harry Roque is one of the loudest voices calling out wrongdoings in the present administration,” Duterte said.  – Daphne Galvez, EJ Macababbad, Janvic Mateo