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NBI Agent Plays Sara Threat Video As Impeachment Trial Opens
Photo credit: Senate PH
House prosecutors opened the presentation of evidence in Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial on Tuesday by playing the video at the center of one of the charges against her, with a National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) official testifying that the recording was properly authenticated and treated as a serious national security matter.
The proceedings focused on Article IV of the Articles of Impeachment, which accuses Duterte of grave threats, inciting to sedition, culpable violation of the Constitution, and betrayal of public trust over remarks she made during an online press briefing on Nov. 23, 2024.
Leading the prosecution's presentation, Iloilo Rep. Lorenz Defensor said the case goes beyond the allegations against Duterte and asks whether the country's second-highest official should remain in office after repeatedly making statements that prosecutors say threatened the nation's top leaders.
"At the heart of this impeachment proceeding lies a fundamental question para sa ating lahat: Can we continue to entrust one of the highest constitutional offices to a public official who, on multiple occasions, purposely and willfully, and repeatedly, resorted to threats of violence against the very institutions that she swore to uphold and protect?" Defensor told the impeachment court.
He said the evidence would rely not only on witness testimony and official documents but also on Duterte's own public statements.
"The evidence presented in this article are not just derived from testimonies and authenticated documents, but from the vice president’s own words, own conduct, her very own public admissions."
Defensor argued that Duterte's statements carried greater weight because they came from the country's second-highest elected official.
"What makes these threats especially sinister is that they do not come from an ordinary citizen, but from the vice president herself, an official who, under the Constitution, stands to succeed the President of the Republic. Such statements carry a gravity far from the exercise of one’s freedom of expression; they strike at the very heart of government."
He added that impeachment exists to ensure that no public official is beyond accountability.
"Kaya ang paglilitis na ito ay mahalagang mekanismong itinakda upang tiyakin na ang kapangyarihan ay laging may kaakibat na pananagutan. Accountability must apply to all or none at all."
The prosecution then called its first witness, NBI Senior Agent John Mark Calilung, who served as the lead investigator in the bureau's probe into Duterte's remarks.
Calilung testified that investigators gathered, preserved and authenticated digital evidence, including the livestream of Duterte's Nov. 23, 2024 online press briefing that was broadcast on the Facebook page of former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque.
He explained that investigators compared a screen-recorded copy with the original livestream before generating a digital hash value to ensure the recording had not been altered.
"After ensuring that the contents are identical, I generated a hash value calculation on the video to ensure that the video won't be tampered until presented in court," Calilung testified.
Following his authentication, prosecutors played the video before the impeachment court.
In the recording, Duterte can be heard saying:
"Huwag kang mag-alala, ma'am, sa security ko, kasi may kinausap na ako na tao. Sinabi ko sa kanya, kapag pinatay ako, patayin mo si BBM, si Liza Araneta, at si Martin Romualdez. No joke. No joke. Nagbilin na ako, ma'am, 'pag namatay ako, sabi ko, huwag ka tumigil, ha, hanggang 'di mo mapatay sila. And then he said yes."
Calilung told the court the NBI also submitted a preservation request to Meta, Facebook's parent company, to preserve the original livestream as part of its digital forensic investigation.
He also testified that investigators authenticated official statements issued by the Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines and National Security Council following Duterte's remarks, showing that government security agencies treated the incident as a serious security concern.
The prosecution likewise presented recorded statements from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and former Speaker of the House Martin Romualdez, both of whom publicly condemned Duterte's remarks after the Nov. 23 briefing.
Calilung also revealed that investigators conducted an open-source investigation and found an earlier online press conference on Oct. 18, 2024 in which Duterte made similarly controversial remarks against President Marcos. Prosecutors said the earlier statements help establish the context of the alleged threats presented under Article IV.
Tuesday's hearing marked the formal start of the prosecution's presentation of evidence in the impeachment trial after the Senate impeachment court adopted its rules and settled preliminary matters during its opening session. House prosecutors have said they intend to present documentary, digital and testimonial evidence over the coming days to support the allegations against the Vice President.
Duterte has denied any wrongdoing and has maintained that the impeachment case is politically motivated. Her defense team is expected to challenge the prosecution's evidence as the trial continues.
The proceedings focused on Article IV of the Articles of Impeachment, which accuses Duterte of grave threats, inciting to sedition, culpable violation of the Constitution, and betrayal of public trust over remarks she made during an online press briefing on Nov. 23, 2024.
Leading the prosecution's presentation, Iloilo Rep. Lorenz Defensor said the case goes beyond the allegations against Duterte and asks whether the country's second-highest official should remain in office after repeatedly making statements that prosecutors say threatened the nation's top leaders.
"At the heart of this impeachment proceeding lies a fundamental question para sa ating lahat: Can we continue to entrust one of the highest constitutional offices to a public official who, on multiple occasions, purposely and willfully, and repeatedly, resorted to threats of violence against the very institutions that she swore to uphold and protect?" Defensor told the impeachment court.
He said the evidence would rely not only on witness testimony and official documents but also on Duterte's own public statements.
"The evidence presented in this article are not just derived from testimonies and authenticated documents, but from the vice president’s own words, own conduct, her very own public admissions."
Defensor argued that Duterte's statements carried greater weight because they came from the country's second-highest elected official.
"What makes these threats especially sinister is that they do not come from an ordinary citizen, but from the vice president herself, an official who, under the Constitution, stands to succeed the President of the Republic. Such statements carry a gravity far from the exercise of one’s freedom of expression; they strike at the very heart of government."
He added that impeachment exists to ensure that no public official is beyond accountability.
"Kaya ang paglilitis na ito ay mahalagang mekanismong itinakda upang tiyakin na ang kapangyarihan ay laging may kaakibat na pananagutan. Accountability must apply to all or none at all."
The prosecution then called its first witness, NBI Senior Agent John Mark Calilung, who served as the lead investigator in the bureau's probe into Duterte's remarks.
Calilung testified that investigators gathered, preserved and authenticated digital evidence, including the livestream of Duterte's Nov. 23, 2024 online press briefing that was broadcast on the Facebook page of former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque.
He explained that investigators compared a screen-recorded copy with the original livestream before generating a digital hash value to ensure the recording had not been altered.
"After ensuring that the contents are identical, I generated a hash value calculation on the video to ensure that the video won't be tampered until presented in court," Calilung testified.
Following his authentication, prosecutors played the video before the impeachment court.
In the recording, Duterte can be heard saying:
"Huwag kang mag-alala, ma'am, sa security ko, kasi may kinausap na ako na tao. Sinabi ko sa kanya, kapag pinatay ako, patayin mo si BBM, si Liza Araneta, at si Martin Romualdez. No joke. No joke. Nagbilin na ako, ma'am, 'pag namatay ako, sabi ko, huwag ka tumigil, ha, hanggang 'di mo mapatay sila. And then he said yes."
Calilung told the court the NBI also submitted a preservation request to Meta, Facebook's parent company, to preserve the original livestream as part of its digital forensic investigation.
He also testified that investigators authenticated official statements issued by the Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines and National Security Council following Duterte's remarks, showing that government security agencies treated the incident as a serious security concern.
The prosecution likewise presented recorded statements from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and former Speaker of the House Martin Romualdez, both of whom publicly condemned Duterte's remarks after the Nov. 23 briefing.
Calilung also revealed that investigators conducted an open-source investigation and found an earlier online press conference on Oct. 18, 2024 in which Duterte made similarly controversial remarks against President Marcos. Prosecutors said the earlier statements help establish the context of the alleged threats presented under Article IV.
Tuesday's hearing marked the formal start of the prosecution's presentation of evidence in the impeachment trial after the Senate impeachment court adopted its rules and settled preliminary matters during its opening session. House prosecutors have said they intend to present documentary, digital and testimonial evidence over the coming days to support the allegations against the Vice President.
Duterte has denied any wrongdoing and has maintained that the impeachment case is politically motivated. Her defense team is expected to challenge the prosecution's evidence as the trial continues.
Jul 7, 2026
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