The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) will not back down from its investigation into the alleged mishandling of 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games funds, Director Melvin Matibag announced on Sunday, dismissing recent insults hurled by Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano.
The statement followed a social media broadcast by Cayetano earlier that day, during which the lawmaker wore a Minions shirt to explicitly mock the NBI chief.
“So ang nangyayari po ngayon ay mga mastermind talaga at may mga minions. So suot kong t-shirt today ay dedicated po sa mga minions,” the senator said.
“Alam niyo naman pangalan ng mga minions diba? ‘Yan minion na ‘yan, pangalan niyan ay Melvin. So shout out sa’yo ngayong Sunday na ‘to Melvin the Minion,” he added.
Refusing to engage in a war of words, the NBI stated that the derogatory remarks would not distract the agency from its legal mandate.
“No one in the Bureau will take offense at the label, nor will it be answered in kind. The Bureau’s work rests on evidence, on documents, and on the law and none of these is moved by name-calling,” the NBI said.
At the core of the inquiry is approximately ₱3.7 billion in unliquidated public funds used during the 2019 regional sports event. Cayetano previously chaired the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC) during his tenure as House Speaker.
The agency urged the minority leader to settle the matter through official legal channels rather than public broadcasts.
“We invite anyone with knowledge of the matter — the Senator included — to bring their evidence to the Bureau, and not to a livestream,” the NBI said.
Moving forward with the case, investigators are set to issue subpoenas on Monday to high-ranking PHISGOC executives, demanding an explanation for the missing financial liquidation reports.