NBI to submit evidence to DOJ if VP Sara skips Friday probe

The National Bureau of Investigation will already submit to the Department of Justice prosecutors the evidence it has regarding Vice President Sara Duterte's remarks against President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. is she fails to attend its probe on Friday to air her side.

This developed after the House of Representatives Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability moved its hearing on the Office of the Vice President's spending of confidential funds from Friday to another date.

Duterte earlier said that she would prioritize the House inquiry and skip the NBI investigation.

“Kung di siya magpunta at ayun nga nagcancel na ang [House committee], kailangan meron siyang magandang dahilan para ipostpone pa namin ang investigation bukas," NBI director Jaime Santiago said in Raffy Tima's report on "24 Oras."

"Ngayon, kung hindi siya magpunta at walang pasabi kahit ano pa man, we will just proceed with our report. Kung ano yung nasa hawak naming dokumento, hawak naming ebidensya, we will proceed, we will submit the case to the prosecutors office of the DOJ,” he added.

(If she does not come despite the cancellation issued by the [House Committee], she needs to give a justifiable reason for us to postpone the investigation tomorrow. If she does not come without any advisory, we will just proceed with our report. Whatever the details that our documents and evidence would have, we will proceed, we will submit the case to the prosecutors office of the DOJ.)

The NBI has issued a subpoena on Duterte over her remarks in an online news conference, in which she said she had told somebody to kill Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and Speaker Martin Romualdez if she were slain.

NBI stated that they have still not received any advisories regarding VP Sara’s attendance following the House committee's announcement of the postponement of hearing to give way for the NBI.

“Kami po kanina ay nag desisyon na i-postpone 'yung committee hearing for tomorrow to pave way sa imbestigasyon po ng NBI. Sa ganoon ay hindi naman po kami nagagamit bilang excuse para masagot po yung complaint po dito dahil naniniwala po kami ito pong isyu sa NBI ay napakahalaga at ito po ay it concerns national security,” said chairman of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability Representative Joel Chua.

(Earlier, we have decided to postpone the committee hearing for tomorrow to pave way for the investigation of the NBI. This way, we won’t be used as an excuse to answer the complaint because we believe that this NBI issue is very important and concerns national security.)

Meanwhile, the NBI said that they intend to issue subpoenas to summon other attendees of the Zoom call where Sara made her statements. —Jiselle C. Casucian/NB, GMA Integrated News