Panelo criticizes NBI over Duterte sedition charges

Former presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo criticized National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Jaime Santiago, urging him to return to law school over the NBI's recommendation to file charges against Vice President Sara Duterte.

Panelo stated that the recommended charges of Inciting to Sedition and Grave Threats lack factual and legal basis following Duterte's public declaration about a hypothetical assassination plot during an online press conference last year.

He argued there can be no crime of 'threat' from the grave, nor any incitement to sedition as defined by law.

Panelo accused the NBI’s move of being politically motivated, aimed at damaging Vice President Duterte's reputation and deterring her from running in the 2028 presidential race.

He urged the NBI to focus on criminal investigations rather than wasting public funds on baseless complaints against VP Sara.

On Wednesday, the NBI filed a complaint for Inciting to Sedition and Grave Threats before the Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding Duterte's comments.