PASAY CITY—National Bureau of Investigation BARMM Regional Director Jeremy Lotoc testified that the public remarks made by Vice President Sara Duterte regarding a contracted hitman were serious, actual, and posed a real threat. 

Lotoc’s assessment came during an intense questioning session by prosecution counsel Atty. Amando Virgil Ligutan, who pressed the security official for his direct impression of the Vice President's highly publicized declarations.

The defense team launched a swift objection to the line of questioning, with Atty. Mark Vinluan arguing that Ligutan’s query solicited a mere opinion and was inherently leading. 

Vinluan emphasized that the Vice President never explicitly used the word "assassin" in her statements. 

However, Ligutan countered that both the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) had formally adopted the term when evaluating the situation. 

Presiding Officer Francis Escudero ultimately overruled the defense’s objection, clearing the way for the NBI Regional Director to deliver his assessment.

Lotoc explained that the bureau arrived at its conclusion after a thorough content and context analysis of Duterte’s public utterances on October 18 and November 23, 2024. 

"The utterances made by the Vice President was serious and the threat was real and actual," NBI Regional Director Lotoc andwered.

He stated that the investigation factored in the alarmed reactions of the threat recipients and various state agencies. 

According to Lotoc, the NBI’s analysis scrutinized the literal meaning of the statements, the specific nature of the instructions given, the delivery and manner of speech, and the complex political relationship shared between the involved parties.

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