NBI: No advance questions will be given to VP Sara amid probe

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said Sunday it will not provide Vice President Sara Duterte a list of questions that will be asked to her amid the investigation into her controversial kill remark against President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

NBI Director Jaime Santiago said they will primarily ask Duterte about the person whom she said she contracted to kill the President if an alleged plot against her succeeds, as well as the supposed threat to her life.

“Ay hindi po. Hindi po kami nagbibigay talaga ng mga questions (No, we’re not really giving advance questions),” Santiago said in a Super Radyo dzBB interview.

“Kaya ‘yun, ‘yung few questions na ‘yun, alam naman niya na ‘yun ang itatanong—bakit nasabi na nakapagbanta siya nang ganun, bakit may kinausap siyang tao, ‘yun ‘yung usual. Pero ‘yung other questions pa ay hindi na namin maibibigay,” he added. 

(That’s the few questions we will ask from her and she already knows that—why did she say such a threat, why did she contract someone to kill the President. Those are the usual questions, but we can’t say the other questions.) 

Duterte was scheduled to appear before the NBI on November 29 to shed light on her remark that she already gave orders to have Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez killed if she herself gets killed. 

The Vice President’s camp, however, asked the NBI to reschedule the hearing. It has been reset to December 11 to give her more time to prepare.

Duterte had also requested the NBI for a clear copy of the complaint against her and other documents that initiated the investigation, as well as the list of questions that the NBI intends to ask her.

According to Santiago, the Vice President’s coordination in the investigation would help the NBI get more information about the alleged threats both to her and Marcos, both of whom the agency is mandated to protect.

“‘Yun namang threat niya kay Presidente BBM…considered namin nag-waive siya sa right niya na ma-express ang kanyang reason, justification, whatever, bakit siya nag threat kay Presidente, First Lady, at Speaker of the House,” he said. 

(If she does not cooperate, we would consider it that she has waived her right to express her reason or justification why she made a threat against the President, First Lady, and Speaker of the House.) 

The NBI served the subpoena to Duterte on Tuesday following her controversial statement during a media conference at the House of Representatives where Office of the Vice President (OVP) chief of staff and undersecretary Zuleika Lopez was detained after being cited in contempt.—AOL, GMA Integrated News