PASAY CITY—The impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte accelerated sharply on July 13 as prosecution counsel Atty. Amando Virgil Ligutan called NBI-BARMM Regional Director Jeremy Lotoc to the stand. 

Serving as the crucial second witness for the fourth article of impeachment focusing on grave threats, Lotoc's testimony directly targets the VP's controversial declarations. 

Ligutan established that Lotoc, an experienced lawyer who spearheaded the National Bureau of Investigation's (NBI) Cybercrime Division in 2024, possesses the technical and legal expertise required to validate the core evidence of the prosecution's case.

“Jeremy Lotoc is a lawyer by profession, and he was the Chief of the Cybercrime Division of the National Bureau of Investigation or NBI in 2024.” Atty. Amando Virgil Ligutan said on his opening statement as the prosecution presented its second witness. 

Lotoc testified that the NBI mobilized its investigation on November 23, 2024, the exact same day Vice President Duterte hosted a fiery online media briefing. 

During that broadcast, Duterte openly declared that she had contracted an assassin to eliminate the President of the Republic of the Philippines, the First Lady, and the former Speaker of the House of Representatives if a separate, unspecified plot against her succeeded. 

“Kasama siya sa NBI team na nagsagawa ng imbestigasyon sa mga pagbabanta ng bise presidente na ginawa sa isang online media briefing noong Nobyembre 23 taong 2024 kung saan dineklara ng bise presidente na siya ay kumontrata na ng isang tao para patayin ang Pangulo ng Republika ng Pilipinas, ang unang ginang, at ang dating Speaker ng House of Representatives.” Atty. Ligutan continued.

Lotoc's presence on the specialized NBI team ensured that the digital footprint and broadcast delivery of these statements were immediately preserved and analyzed.

The prosecution hit its stride when Ligutan revealed the definitive conclusion of the state's cyber investigation: the NBI officially determined that the Vice President's televised death threats were both serious and real. 

“Napag-alaman ng NBI na ang mga pagbabanta ng Bise Presidente ay seryoso at totoo.” The lawyer for the prosecution concluded.

By transforming a public broadcast into a verified criminal file, Lotoc’s testimony directly connects the defense's downplayed rhetoric to a formal national security assessment.

‍