APRIL 27, 2026 — The National Bureau of Investigation has confirmed that Vice President Sara Duterte’s assassination threat against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was not a mere figure of speech but an actual plan, intensifying the impeachment proceedings and raising alarm over the stability of the country’s leadership.

NBI Director Melvin Matibag revealed that investigators have established that Duterte indeed spoke to someone about carrying out the assassination. 

“So, we know that she really talked to someone, but we want to find out who is that person,” Matibag said. 

He stressed that the November 2024 threat was not a spur-of-the-moment remark but a planned act.

At that press conference, Duterte openly declared she had spoken to someone to kill President Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and then-Speaker Martin Romualdez if anything happened to her. She repeated twice that it was not a joke, linking the statement to the jailing of her chief of staff Zuleika Lopez.

Palace reaction and political fallout

Malacañang has acknowledged the gravity of the threat. 

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said, “Unang-una po, totoo pong seryoso ang pagkakaroon ng isang tao, pagkakaroon ng isang public servant lalo pa na ikaw ay occupying the second highest position in the land, mayroon kang sariling assassin, seryoso na pong usapin, lalo pa at gagamitin ang assassin na ito para ma-liquidate, mawala ang Pangulo” 

(First of all, it is indeed serious for a person, especially a public servant occupying the second highest position in the land, to have his or her own assassin. This is a very serious matter, especially if this assassin is intended to liquidate or eliminate the President).

The House justice committee has already deemed the impeachment complaints against Duterte sufficient in form and substance. The assassination threat, alongside allegations of unexplained wealth and misuse of confidential funds, forms the backbone of the charges. 

The committee is set to tackle the issue in its April 29 hearing, where NBI officials will testify.

If the second highest official in the land can allegedly plot against the President, what does that say about the state of governance? The billions in flagged bank transactions tied to Duterte only deepen the public’s mistrust.

(Image: Screengrab from YouTube)