DOJ urges VP Duterte to appear before NBI investigation
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday told Vice President Sara Duterte to appear before the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) amid a subpoena over her alleged kill threat against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
DOJ Usec. Raul Vasquez made the pronouncement after Duterte earlier said that she will not be showing up in the NBI’s investigation on Wednesday, Dec. 11.
READ: VP Sara skipping NBI probe into death threats
“Well, that’s part of the legal process. If they believe that she is better off not attending, that’s their lookout, but that’s a matter that would be left to the discretion of their defense team,” Vasquez said in a chance interview in Pasay City.
READ: Why ‘terrorism’ raps? Sara Duterte went beyond words, says DOJ exec
“But it would be best if she would present herself because that’s part of the process, everybody should follow the rule of law and the processes with respect to investigations by our law enforcement agencies,” he added.
Article continues after this advertisementWednesday’s investigation could turn out to be Duterte’s second time ignoring the NBI’s summons amid an investigation over the alleged death threats she made against the President.
Article continues after this advertisementThe first time was on Nov. 29 when she asked to reschedule the hearing, citing the late receipt of the House of Representatives’ postponement of a hearing probing her office’s alleged misuse of funds—which she was supposed to attend.
This time, Duterte said she would instead submit an affidavit or a position paper to the NBI in favor of not attending the investigation in person, as she has thanksgiving activities and a burial she has to attend to.
In its subpoena, the NBI asked Duterte to present evidence on its investigation of alleged grave threats under Article 282 of the Revised Penal Code in relation to Section 6 of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 (Republic Act No, 10175).
The document also stated that Duterte may have violated the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 (RA 11479).
This stemmed from her recent remark where she claimed that she instructed someone to kill Marcos, his wife Liza, and cousin Speaker Martin Romualdez in the event of her own demise.