MANILA, Philippines — Jeremy Lotoc testified Monday that Vice President Sara Duterte’s alleged threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez were assessed by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) as “serious, real and actual.”
Lotoc, the NBI’s former Cybercrime Division chief, took the witness stand during Duterte’s impeachment trial as the Senate impeachment court continued hearing Article IV of the articles of impeachment, which centers on allegations of grave threats and incitement to sedition.
“To me, as the chief investigator at that time, the utterances made by the vice president were serious, and the threat was real and actual,” Lotoc said, referring to the NBI’s investigation into Duterte’s Nov. 23, 2024 online press conference, where she claimed she had instructed a hitman to kill Marcos, Araneta-Marcos and Romualdez if she herself were killed.
Lotoc said investigators based their assessment on four factors: the manner in which the statements were delivered, their literal meaning, the nature of the alleged instruction and the relationship between Duterte and the individuals she mentioned.
He testified that Duterte appeared “furious and fuming mad” throughout the press conference, noting investigators reviewed the video multiple times and observed repeated profanities directed at the president, the first lady and the former House speaker.
According to Lotoc, investigators concluded that Duterte’s statements indicated she had already contracted someone to kill the three officials and that her alleged instruction to “don’t stop until you kill them” demonstrated persistence and intent.
He also warned that such statements could be exploited by other individuals or groups if anything happened to Duterte, creating a potential security risk.
Lotoc further cited Duterte’s previous remarks describing her relationship with Marcos as “toxic,” including statements made during an October 2024 press conference in which she said she had imagined beheading the president.
He added that the NBI also considered the reactions of the alleged targets, including Marcos, who publicly described the remarks as “concerning,” concluding that the president viewed the statements as a serious threat.
Lotoc also told the impeachment court that the NBI found Duterte’s statements had the potential to disturb public peace, undermine public order and incite hostility against the government.