A National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) witness in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte deemed the kill plot uttered by the second-highest official against President Marcos Jr. in November 2024 was an “absolute threat.”

NBI Senior Agent John Mark Calilung made the testimony on the third day of the trial on Wednesday, following a question from Senator-judge Alan Cayetano about how he personally assessed the threat.

Although the initial NBI affidavit considered the threat as conditional, Calilung said the threat was ”absolute” based on his personal assessment. 

“Even with or without [condition], sir, it's still considered a threat,” Calilung said. “The threat is absolute, sir.” 

Calilung was the first witness presented by the prosecution panel in the ongoing impeachment trial of Duterte. His testimony centers on the 23 November 2024 press conference of the VP, in which she bared that she contracted a hitman to kill President Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Marcos, and then-House Speaker Martin Romualdez, if she gets killed first. 

A visibly enraged Duterte repeatedly cursed the said officials amid what she called continuing attacks against her by the administration and its allies in Congress.

Duterte held the online briefing inside a room in the House of Representatives, where her chief of staff, Zuleika Lopez, was detained after being cited in contempt during the chamber’s probe into the Office of the Vice President’s use of public funds.

The magnitude of the threat prompted the Department of Justice to initiate legal action, while the NBI launched a probe.

Duterte contended that her statement was merely “maliciously taken out of logical context.”

Calilung was part of the NBI group tasked with investigating the veracity of the VP’s “threat” against the President. 

Cayetano, however, argued that the investigation should have been undertaken by the Presidential Security Group, as it is the primary agency mandated to provide close-in security for the top officials, including their families. 

Calilung, meanwhile, countered that the NBI already stepped in because the “threat” was already confirmed “active” by the National Security Council. 

The NBI is empowered under Republic Act 10867 to undertake investigations into threats to security or assaults against the top officials of the government, namely, the President, Vice President, Senate President, House Speaker, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Calilung said the NBI also “tried” to investigate the alleged threat against Duterte and invited her to their office, though it was not confirmed whether the VP heeded. 

Calilung confirmed the video's authenticity after Senator-judge Raffy Tulfo raised concerns that it might be AI-generated, citing public doubts.

“The video itself was two hours long. Normally, an AI-generated video would only last a short second,” Calilung said in response.

Tulfo averred that Calilung’s testimony is crucial to help establish whether Duterte’s acts may fall under the constitutional grounds for impeachment, specifically culpable violation of the Constitution, high crimes, and betrayal of public trust.