Photo Courtesy: City Government of Davao via Public Domain

MANILA, Philippines The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) will subpoena Vice President Sara Duterte as part of its probe into her threatening remarks about President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., First Lady Lisa Araneta-Marcos, and Speaker Martin Romualdez, according to a justice official on Monday.

Justice Undersecretary Jesse Andres confirmed during a Palace briefing that the subpoena will be issued to the Vice President as soon as possible.

“The government’s investigation will be expedited. It is crucial to determine the steps taken to hire an assassin who planned an attack on our President,” Andres said in Filipino.

“The NBI will take all necessary steps to identify this individual, including issuing a subpoena for Vice President Duterte to appear before the NBI and clarify her statements,” he said.

Andres said that the NBI has the authority to initiate the investigation on its own, meaning a formal complaint is not required. The subpoena will give Duterte the opportunity to present her side and clarify her remarks.

The NBI is treating the matter seriously, especially after Duterte admitted to hiring a hitman to kill the President, First Lady, and Speaker in the event of her own death.

“Her direct admission that she hired someone to carry out the killings is inappropriate coming from a high-ranking official of our government,” Andres said.

NBI Director Jaime Santiago also addressed the issue, stating that the agency launched the investigation immediately after receiving video clips of Duterte’s statements. He confirmed that the Vice President will be asked to appear within five days to explain her remarks.

The NBI’s cybercrime unit verified the authenticity of the video, confirming it was not AI-generated or deepfake. The agency has also requested Facebook to preserve the footage for future reference.

“The next step is to determine what action, including potential criminal charges, we will take against the Vice President, particularly the individual she allegedly instructed to assassinate the President, First Lady, and Speaker,” Santiago said.

Should Duterte fail to comply with the subpoena, the NBI will proceed with its investigation using available legal evidence.

Duterte made the threatening and profane comments during an online media conference at the House of Representatives over the weekend, where her chief of staff, Atty. Zuleika Lopez, was detained after being cited in contempt.