The Philippine National Police is looking into an alleged assassination plot against former senator and presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., PNP chief Gen. Dionardo Carlos said Monday.
Carlos said police are gathering more information on the alleged plot.
“We will validate it. It has been coordinated with us. With regard to this report, we are open because our commitment is to secure everyone. Our commitment is for a peaceful election,” he said.
The Department of Justice confirmed Sunday its Office of Cybercrime had received an online tip about an alleged plot to kill Marcos, which it referred to the National Bureau of Investigation for further probe.
“It was our Office of Cybercrime who received an online tip and acted immediately in view of the serious nature of the information received. The NBI is now also on it,” Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said in a text message to reporters.
DOJ-OCC officer-in-charge Charito Zamora confirmed she got a text report last Friday “wherein the subject has commented a serious threat to a TikTok video posted by another TikTok account with username @joiedevivre420. The said comment states in toto: Nagmemeeting kami araw araw para paghandaang ipa assassinate namin si BBM humanda kayo.”
“We emailed the Tik Tok Law Enforcement Outreach and requested the data related to the subject account preserved pending investigation by the law enforcement agents concerned,” Zamora said.
Zamora said Kerri Woods of the TikTok Law Enforcement Outreach was now working on the request of the DoJ cybercrime probers.
In a statement, Marcos chief of staff and spokesman Vic Rodriguez said that “while the report on the assassination plot is concerning, we are not cowered by such threat. Bongbong shall continue to personally deliver his message around the country with firm resolve to unify the nation.”