Manila: Director Melvin Matibag said Tuesday he was '100 percent' certain that Vice President Sara Duterte had contacted someone over an alleged plan to kill officials, even as the bureau has yet to identify the person nearly 20 months after her controversial remarks.

According to Philippines News Agency, during the eighth day of Duterte's impeachment trial, Senator-Judge Bam Aquino asked Matibag to quantify the likelihood that the Vice President had actually spoken to someone who supposedly agreed to carry out the killings. Matibag responded, '100 percent po, sapagkat siya na mismo ang nagsabi ng kanyang plano na siya ay may kinausap na papatay at pumayag iyong papatay (One hundred percent, because she herself said she had a plan, contacted someone to kill, and that person agreed),' indicating his assessment was based on Duterte's own public statement, which he characterized as a 'public confession' that placed the security of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and the country at risk.

Senate President and Senator-Judge Win Gatchalian, however, pressed the witness on the gap between the NBI's certainty and the absence of a specifically identified person allegedly contacted by Duterte. Gatchalian noted that one year and eight months had passed since Duterte's November 2024 statement but the bureau still had no name that it could definitively present as the person allegedly tasked to carry out the plan.

Matibag said several persons of interest had been identified through open-source and human intelligence, with investigators monitoring them and communicating with people close to one possible contact. 'May mga pangalan po talaga na na-identify natin na atin pong pinupuntahan (We have identified names that we are pursuing),' he said. He mentioned that a special task force established on April 16 had made 'great progress,' although he could not provide an exact date for the completion of the investigation.

After repeated questioning from Gatchalian, Matibag estimated that the bureau could obtain clearer information and possibly identify the alleged contact within three to six months. 'Yun po ang ating inaasahan (That is what we expect),' he said. Matibag added that the task force was also monitoring possible destabilization activities and individuals allegedly influenced by statements targeting the President. Some people who issued threats through social media had already been interviewed, investigated, or charged, he said.

The NBI chief maintained that the investigation would be considered complete only after authorities locate and establish the identity of the person Duterte allegedly contacted.