Metro Manila, Philippines – National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag disclosed that the agency is eyeing a possible conspiracy between Vice President Sara Duterte and her brother, Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte, in the alleged hiring of an assassin to kill the presidential family.
The correlation comes from two separate but similarly themed remarks of the Duterte siblings, said the NBI chief.
In a press briefing on Oct. 18, 2024, Sara Duterte recounted an experience where President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. refused to give a watch to a student who asked for it as a graduation gift.
Recounting her internal feelings, she said, “Gusto kong tanggalin ang ulo niya ba.”
[Translation: I want to decapitate him.]
On April 12, 2026, the Davao City Mayor made a similar remark during the launch of the Reform Alliance for Accountability, Good Governance, and Ethics (RAGE) Coalition.
“Isang ulo lang naman ang kailangan namin, ang ulo ni Bongbong Marcos,” Sebastian Duterte said.
[Translation: We only need one head, the head of Bongbong Marcos.]
However, upon questioning by Senator-judge Imee Marcos, Matibag admitted that the supposed conspiracy has not yet been established.
Senator-judge Joel Villanueva asked if the NBI was focused on confirming the identity of a particular individual instead of determining if the alleged hitman existed.
Matibag said the NBI was focused on confirming the hitman’s identity, operating on the basis that the vice president did hire one and admitted to it during the Nov. 23, 2024 virtual press conference.
He said the NBI had narrowed down its list of persons of interest to less than 20, and that the agency had begun interviewing their families and friends.
The persons of interest are people who can identify the supposed hitman or clarify the events surrounding the alleged contracting, Matibag earlier said.
