THE National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) served a subpoena to Vice President Sara Duterte on Tuesday afternoon, following her controversial statement in which she claimed to have ordered someone to kill President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. if an alleged plot against her were to succeed.
According to a reliable media source, the subpoena was delivered to the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) main office in Mandaluyong City around 12 p.m. on Tuesday.
The subpoena requires Duterte to appear at the NBI headquarters on Friday, November 29, 2024, to explain her statements regarding the President, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
Justice Undersecretary Margarita Gutierrez confirmed the subpoena’s service during an interview with one media outlet.
“NBI personnel have arrived at the Office of the Vice President to serve the subpoena for Vice President Sara Duterte about her assassination threat against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez,” Gutierrez said.
“The NBI is summoning VP Sara to explain the threats she said lately,” she added.
The subpoena is part of an ongoing investigation led by the Department of Justice (DOJ), with the NBI handling the inquiry into Duterte’s remarks.
The Vice President made the statement during a media briefing at the House of Representatives, where her chief of staff, Zuleika Lopez, had been detained after being cited in contempt by a House committee.
During the press conference, Duterte said, “I’ve already spoken to someone, so don’t worry about my security. I told that person to kill BBM [President Marcos], Liza Araneta, and Martin Romualdez if I were to be slain.”
She added, “Ma’am, I’ve already left a directive. After I die, don’t stop until you’ve killed them all. And then he said, ‘Yes.’”
Vice President Sara Duterte later clarified that her previous statement about an alleged assassination order was not intended as a threat. She explained that she was merely drawing attention to the perceived danger to her security, and claimed her words had been “taken out of logical context.”
In response to the controversy, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. vowed on Monday to thwart any “criminal attempts” against him.