MANILA – National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag on Tuesday told the Senate impeachment court that the bureau now considers Vice President Sara Duterte’s alleged threat against President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. as an alleged assassination plan that poses a threat to national security.

Testifying as the House prosecution’s final witness under Article IV of the impeachment complaint, Matibag said the NBI’s investigation remains ongoing and now covers the alleged threats against the President, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

“From our law enforcement perspective, ang ginawang banta ng Vice President ay tinatrato na namin hindi banta kundi isang plano para po sa pagpatay sa ating Pangulo (we now consider the Vice President’s threat not as a threat but a plan to kill our President), and that is a threat to the President which we consider also na threat na po sa ating (as a threat to our) national security,” Matibag testified.

He said the NBI’s work did not end with the filing of criminal complaints for grave threats and inciting to sedition before the Department of Justice.

“Tayo po ay nagtatag ng tinatawag na special task force sa pamamagitan ng pag-create ng isang administrative order, kung saan bumalangkas po tayo ng mga miyembro ng aming opisina para sila po ang magpatuloy ng imbestigasyon na ito at mag-monitor po ng mga kailangang gawin (We formed a special task force through an administrative order, consisting of members of our office, to continue this investigation and monitor what need to be done),” Matibag said.

Matibag identified the order as Administrative Order No. 11, which was issued on April 16, 2026. The prosecution presented the document as Exhibit P-429 and said it would later submit a certified true copy.

According to Matibag, the special task force was directed to regularly coordinate with the Office of the NBI Director and immediately report developments requiring action.

He said the creation of the task force was prompted by the Vice President’s public statements and an April 12 RAGE Coalition rally, during which Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte was heard saying, “Isang ulo lang naman ang kailangan namin, at iyan ay ang ulo ni Bongbong Marcos (we only need one head, and that’s the head of Bongbong Marcos).”

“Iyan po ay aming isinama sa aming factor upang buuin po itong (We factored that in forming) Administrative Order No. 11,” he said.

At the prosecution’s request, the Senate impeachment court played portions of the RAGE Coalition video marked as Exhibit P-430, as well as excerpts from Vice President Duterte’s Oct. 18, 2024 press conference marked as Exhibit P-411.

The video excerpts included the statements, “Gusto kong tanggalin ’yung ulo niya,” and “I imagined myself cutting his head.”

When the prosecution asked Matibag whose head the Vice President was referring to, presiding officer Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero directed the prosecution to proceed, saying, “The court understands and knows who the Vice President was referring to in that video.”

The defense repeatedly objected to the line of questioning, arguing that it was vague, had already been answered, or called for an irrelevant response, and later moved to strike part of Matibag’s testimony.

Escudero denied both the objection and the motion.

“The objection is overruled, and the motion to strike is denied. Let it remain in the records for the appreciation of the senator-judges as to the weight they will give that particular part of the witness’ testimony,” Escudero ruled.

Matibag said the task force includes personnel from the NBI’s National Capital Region, Cybercrime, Organized and Transnational Crime, Technical Intelligence, and Digital Forensic Laboratory divisions.

He added that the bureau’s open-source intelligence included the Vice President’s public statement that she had spoken to someone who agreed to kill the President.

According to Matibag, the Cybercrime Division was included in the task force because multiple threats against the President were allegedly being spread through social media and required continuous monitoring.

Lead prosecutor and Batangas Rep. Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro later asked Matibag about the significance of the public statements to the NBI’s investigation.

“Sapagkat ito po ang aming mismong tinitingnan, sapagkat ang tingin nga po namin dito, that the threat is serious, active and continuing doon po sa banta sa ating Presidente. At dahil ito ay seryoso, aktibo at patuloy na umiiral, ay nagiging banta rin sa ating pambansang seguridad. At anuman pong banta sa seguridad ng ating Pangulo ay banta po sa ating national security (Because, as we see it, that the threat against the President is serious, active and continuing. And because it is serious, active and continuing, it has also become a threat to national security. And any threat to the security of the President is a threat to national security),” Matibag said.PNA