Senator Bam Aquino questions NBI on failure to identify VP Sara Duterte's alleged hitman

Senator-judge Bam Aquino on Monday questioned the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) over its failure to identify the person Vice President Sara Duterte allegedly claimed she had contracted to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

During the fourth day of Duterte's impeachment trial, Aquino said the country's premier investigative agency should have established concrete findings given the seriousness of the Vice President's alleged statements.

“My question is focused on the person who was spoken to or allegedly contracted by Vice President Sara Duterte to kill the President, First Lady, and former Speaker. Did you continue the investigation to find this person?” Aquino asked.

NBI-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Regional Director Jeremy Lotoc acknowledged that investigators were unable to validate or confirm the identity of the alleged hitman despite issuing subpoenas to media personalities who witnessed Duterte's online press conference.

Aquino pointed out that while the Vice President's statements were captured during the broadcast, the NBI's inability to identify the alleged hitman meant the supposed threat itself had not been independently verified.

“So what you mean to say is that, as the NBI, you were not able to find this person. But you based your assessment on the statement because it was explicitly stated by the Vice President herself,” Aquino said.

Lotoc replied that the bureau took Duterte's remarks seriously because of the extreme anger and profanity she displayed during the press conference. He added that the investigation remains open as the NBI continues to wait for actionable information from the public or other parties that could help identify the alleged individual.

-Paraluman News