00:01NBI Chief Melvin Matibag says the agency has not found the alleged hitman enlisted by Vice President Sara Duterte but
00:08found persons of interest.
00:10The prosecution attempts to prove a pattern of violence on the part of Sara Duterte with witness Melvin Matibag saying
00:16Duterte's threats had kinetic force.
00:18The ombudsman tags Martin Romualdez as the central figure in the flood control corruption scheme.
00:23President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. summons China's ambassador over the China Coast Guard attack on a Filipino soldier at Ayungin Shoal.
00:31And veteran legislator and former Albay Governor Joey Salceda is appointed as head of the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office.
00:45National Bureau of Investigation Director Melvin Matibag says the agency is still investigating the identity of the alleged hitman hired
00:53by Vice President Sara Duterte to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
00:57But Matibag says the NBI has persons of interest who may help the agency find the actual assassin Duterte allegedly
01:03spoke with.
01:04Meron po tayong mga leads natin pong sinusundan at katunayan, we already have established persons of interest na maaaring makapagturo
01:13o tumukoy dun sa taong kinausap ng ating Vice Presidente
01:17o maaaring isa rito sa tinatawag nating persons of interest ang siyang talagang nakausap ng Vice Presidente.
01:24Duterte first said during her infamous virtual press conference on November 23, 2024 that she had reached out to an
01:30assassin to kill Marcos and members of his family.
01:33But Matibag says he cannot disclose the identity of these persons of interest as the investigation is ongoing.
01:39Makukompromiso po ang ating investigasyon at may lalagay po sa alanganin yung pong ating mga tinatawag na informants o assets
01:46na nasa ground na nagbibigay po sa atin ng human intel na tinatawag.
01:51Lead Prosecutor Jinky Luistro conducts the direct examination of Matibag who says the NBI is treating Duterte's statement not as
01:58a threat but as a plan to kill the President.
02:02The prosecution attempts to prove a pattern of violence on the part of Vice President Sara Duterte.
02:07Witness for the prosecution, NBI Director Melvin Matibag says threats made by Duterte against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had kinetic
02:14force.
02:15Here is a kinetic force na kung saan yung mga nakarinig na kanyang pababanta ay gumagaya na rin at nagbabanta.
02:21Lalong-lalo na sila ay nabibilang sa isang pamilya.
02:26Na yung kanila pong aksyon ay nagkakaroon po ng epekto para kubilos sa mga nakakarinig ang kanilang mga supporter
02:33upang maghasik po ng ligalig at kaguluhan po sa ating pong bansa at hindi na niririspeto ang ating pong konstitusyon
02:41at wala na rin pong pagtingin sa ating democratic process.
02:45He cites Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte's statements during the April 2026 rage rally as proof of this ripple effect.
02:52During the trial, Matibag also reads portions of the affidavit of self-confessed Davao Death Squad member Arturo Lascañas.
02:58The affidavit was submitted to the International Criminal Court or ICC.
03:03The paragraphs read out loud describe the alleged role of Sara Duterte, then Davao City Mayor, in the DDS kill
03:09orders.
03:10Matibag reads Lascañas' account of his conversation with then Davao City Police Director Bato De La Rosa.
03:15I talked to Mary Indai as part of our talkhang operation.
03:19She ordered us to lay law our killings through gun shooting because the media is asking too much.
03:25Just kidnapped targets then buried them in the quarry so they would go missing.
03:30She is okay with that way.
03:32To which I answered,
03:33Yes, sir.
03:34Sultian ako ako ang grupo.
03:36I'll inform my group.
03:38Defense lawyer Mark Vinluan objects to the reading, stressing it is highly improper.
03:42Impeachment presiding officer Cheez Escudero agrees and stops any further reading of the affidavit.
03:49The Office of the Ombudsman has identified former House Speaker Martin Romualdez as the central figure in the flood control
03:55corruption scandal.
03:56This comes as the agency moves to pursue plunder and money laundering cases against him, former ACOBICOL representative Zaldico, and
04:03several others.
04:03Assistant Ombudsman Miko Clavano says the Ombudsman's findings were also supported by sworn statements from eight individuals who served as
04:11COS security personnel.
04:12The sworn statements also provided first-hand accounts detailing alleged cash deliveries from COT Romualdez.
04:18But Clavano clarifies the July 20 announcement that the Ombudsman is set to file two separate complaints for preliminary investigation
04:25is not yet a formal charge before a court.
04:28This latest development comes nearly a year after the flood control controversy erupted following the state-of-the-nation address
04:34of the president.
04:35Rattler's investigations have also uncovered six multimillion-peso properties that were either purchased or changed hands among Romualdez associates since
04:43he became House Speaker in 2022.
04:47President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. summons Chinese ambassador to Manila, Jing Kuan, Tuesday, July 21.
04:53This a day after China Coast Guard personnel hit a Filipino soldier on the head during a confrontation in Ayungin
04:58Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.
05:01This is the first time Marcos has summoned Jing who arrived in Manila in December 2025.
05:06Marcos had summoned Jing's predecessor, Huang Xilian, over the CCG's use of lasers on the Philippine Coast Guard.
05:12The development comes as tensions between the Philippines and China in both political and maritime spaces escalate further.
05:19Aside from the recent confrontation, state-owned China Daily released a racist video depicting a Filipino as a monkey to
05:25undermine the landmark 2016 Orbital Award.
05:28The United States State Department condemns China's dangerous and aggressive actions in the Shoal and called on Beijing to immediately
05:34cease its destabilizing conduct.
05:38Veteran legislator and former Albay Governor Joey Salceda is set to join President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s cabinet as head of
05:45the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office.
05:47Salceda will hold the rank of secretary and replaces Adrian Bersamin who was an undersecretary.
05:52Bersamin left his post in November 2025 after he was accused of involvement in flood control corruption.
05:59Salceda, who was a long-time representative of the 2nd District of Albay and former governor of the province, lost
06:04in the 2025 midterm elections.
06:08Meantime, Lieutenant General Antonio Nafarete is appointed Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
06:14Nafarete, the current Philippine Army Chief, replaces General Romeo Bronner Jr. after three years as the country's top military officer.
06:21Nafarete takes over the AFP in the midst of a long overdue transition in focus from internal to external defense
06:27with the release of the national security policy in 2023.
06:32And that's today's wrap. I'm JC Gutinga. Thank you for watching. Click the link below for the full story. For
06:38more updates, download the Rappler app.
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