NBI says VP Duterte's video threatening PBBM authentic

Acting on the directive to investigate the threat made by Vice President Sara Duterte against President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Marcos, and Speaker Martin Romualdez, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said Sunday that the threat is authentic.

NBI Director Jaime B. Santiago said he was instructed by Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla to look into the threat.

“In response to the call from the Executive Secretary and in coordination with the Presidential Security Command, the Secretary of Justice has directed the NBI to determine the veracity of the videoclip circulating online regarding the threat coming from VP Duterte,” Santiago said, adding, “The investigation is still ongoing."

Santiago said the NBI’s Cybercrime Division investigators have “found the videoclip to be authentic.”

“Hindi po ito deepfake or AI-Generated (This is not deepfake or generated by artificial intelligence),” Santiago added. “The finding was already reported to the Secretary of Justice.”

Duterte, during a Zoom press conference on Saturday, 23 November, warned that she had already hired an assassin to kill Marcos, the First Lady, and Romualdez if anything were to happen to her.

She criticized the alleged political persecution that the Office of the Vice President is facing under the Marcos administration, despite their being former allies.