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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Lotoc breaks down inciting to sedition allegation vs VP Duterte as trial continues

Lotoc breaks down inciting to sedition allegation vs VP Duterte as trial continues

Published Jul 13, 2026 05:35 pm

At A Glance

  • National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) lawyer Jeremy Lotoc testified that investigators found Vice President Sara Duterte's public remarks showed the elements of inciting to sedition.
  • The NBI official said Duterte's statements had a tendency to stir people against the government, disturb public peace, and undermine public safety and order.
  • He clarified that determining whether Duterte took steps to carry out the alleged threats falls under the NBI's intelligence service, not the Cybercrime Division.
Senator Erwin Tulfo, on Monday, July 13, pressed the House prosecution panel's second witness on whether its probe into Vice President Sara Duterte's controversial public statements found evidence that she had acted on her alleged threats.
NBI Regional Director for BARMM Jeremy Lotoc (Senate PRIB photo)
NBI Regional Director for BARMM Jeremy Lotoc (Senate PRIB photo)
During the fourth day of Duterte's impeachment trial, Tulfo asked NBI Regional Director for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) lawyer Jeremy Lotoc that their investigation focused on the alleged offenses of grave threats and inciting to sedition, while matters involving whether Duterte had engaged or directed other individuals to execute the alleged threats fall under the NBI's intelligence service.
Lotoc stated that the NBI Director would be in a better position to answer questions involving information gathered from different divisions.
Tulfo then sought clarification on the agency's findings regarding the inciting to sedition complaint.
Lotoc told the impeachment court that investigators found Duterte's statements made on Oct. 18 and Nov. 23, 2024, as well as other surrounding circumstances, met the elements of the offense.
"In our investigation, we were able to establish that those utterances... have a tendency to stir up the people to go against the government, have a tendency to disturb the peace of the community, and have a tendency to undermine public safety and public order," Lotoc testified.
"And I think that's the elements of the incitement to sedition," he added.
The testimony forms part of the House prosecution panel's presentation of evidence in support of the impeachment complaint against Duterte, one of whose articles cites her controversial public statements and alleged threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and Speaker Martin Romualdez.

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Vice President Sara Duterte National Bureau of Investigation impeachment trial
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