VP Security Among 20 Eyed As ‘Hitman’ – NBI

Members of the uniformed services, some of them part of the security group of Vice President Sara Duterte, are among nearly 20 “persons of interest” in the “plan” to kill President Marcos, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag told the Senate impeachment court on Wednesday, July 22.

“We have identified less than 20 individuals, and we have all their names,” Matibag told Sen. Joel Villanueva who asked about the alleged assassination “plan.”

The investigation stemmed from Duterte’s “threats” that went viral, aired during press conferences.

The NBI chief said it could take three to six months to finish the probe, emphasizing that plots to kill a sitting president require funds, a wide network and more than one participant.

Matibag – a former stalwart of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s PDP-Laban party – invoked confidentiality when asked by court presiding officer Sen. Francis Escudero if money had changed hands between the Vice President and the alleged contracted killer.

“That is the part of the investigation,” Matibag said.

He emphasized that they don’t want to jeopardize their operations, considering that the investigation is still “ongoing” and “national security” is involved.

During grilling by Sen. Erwin Tulfo, Matibag said that based on information gathered by the NBI, the assassins that the Vice President may have contacted could have come from either the Davao Death Squad or from her own Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group (VPSPG).

Matibag also said they have talked to the families or acquaintances of the persons of interest.

He reiterated his timeline that the NBI would be able to pin down the alleged hitman in three to six months.

When Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian pointed out that the assassin could be a government official, Matibag said “there are in our narrowed down list many uniformed men in active service.”

No need for probe?

The NBI chief also said that threatening to have the President assassinated was already a betrayal of public trust and “we don’t need to investigate even if we pinpointed the person contracted.”

“Because the point being, the betrayal of public trust had already been consummated when she publicly admitted, there is already an admission that she contracted a killer, a mamamatay-tao, an assassin, to kill the President,” he told the court.

He made the assertion when defense lawyer Mark Vinluan asked him whether the NBI’s continuing investigation could eventually result in another impeachment complaint against Duterte.

Lead prosecutor Rep. Gerville Luistro objected, arguing that the question was speculative, but Escudero allowed Matibag to answer.

“And that itself is already an admission,” Matibag said. “Because the oath of office of the VP: she vowed that she will execute the law and do justice to every man. So, kapag nagbalak kang pumatay, kapag ginawa mo iyan, that is not justice to every man. It’s not execute the law, execute the President that’s what you want to do,” he said.

Prosecutor Rep. Terry Ridon, at a press briefing earlier, said Vinluan – in his cross-examination of Matibag – may have unwittingly helped the prosecution’s case.

Ridon said Vinluan’s questions gave Matibag the opportunity to restate the NBI’s findings and explain why the bureau continued to treat the alleged threats seriously.

He said the questioning also helped put the prosecution’s constitutional argument under Article IV into sharper focus.

Ridon also said the prosecution was contemplating utilizing self-confessed assassin Arturo Lascañas as witness, as what Vinluan appeared to be daring the prosecution to do with his cross-examination of Matibag.

Betrayal of trust

Private prosecutor Benjamin Tolosa Jr., for his part, said the Vice President’s higher public trust rating should not be invoked for her defense, as her higher trust ratings could only mean her having betrayed more Filipinos.

“Actually, if more people have vested their trust in her, does this not mean – in effect – that she has betrayed more people?” Tolosa said.

“So, regardless of how high the approval ratings are, these kinds of action is just too clear for people to ignore, that this directly goes to the betrayal of the people’s trust committed by the second highest elected official of the land,” he said.

Ridon, meanwhile, insisted that the impeachment trial should still continue even if Duterte resigns, pointing out that aside from removal from office, she is also facing disqualification from holding public office.

He made the remark when asked about the possible effect of a Duterte resignation as the impeachment court is set to open her bank, tax and Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) records.

For House prosecution spokesman Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, Duterte’s resignation should not absolve her of possible wrongdoings.

“Even if she resigns, for example, it will not absolve, it will not even terminate the impeachment trial, because the only way to terminate the impeachment trial is for the court to finally reach a decision,” he said.

Tolosa likewise argued that resignation should not prevent the impeachment court from completing its task.

“The penalty stated in the Constitution cannot be avoided just by the simple act of resigning,” he said.

Before Wednesday’s adjournment of the trial – the ninth day – Escudero warned lawyers of both the prosecution and the defense against making public statements on the merits of the impeachment case.

He noted that prosecution’s Tolosa and defense spokesman Michael Poa are both accredited members of their respective legal teams, raising concerns that their dual roles could blur the line between procedural updates and comments on the substance of the case.

“Thus far, both have been very careful, but as the trial goes on, it might take its toll with respect to the spokesperson and counsel at the same time being able to distinguish between the merits of the case and purely procedural observations or facts,” he added. – With Daphne Galvez, Delon Porcalla, Mark Ernest Villeza, Ghio Ong