National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag will testify on Tuesday, July 21, as the House prosecution team concludes its presentation of evidence for Article IV of the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte.
According to prosecutors, Matibag’s testimony is intended to settle lingering questions regarding claims that Duterte issued death threats and engaged in seditious acts through controversial statements targeted at President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker and Leyte Representative Martin Romualdez.
During a press briefing on Monday, July 20, Lanao del Sur 1st District Representative Zia Alonto Adiong, a spokesperson for the prosecution panel, stated that the NBI chief will clarify matters left unresolved from past sessions.
”Our last witness that we will present tomorrow will be Director Matibag para masagot at matahi ‘yung mga hanging questions na tinanong in the previous two weeks,” Adiong said.
The NBI has already fielded two previous witnesses—Senior Agent John Mark Calilung and Regional Director Jeremy Lotoc—who participated in the probe regarding Duterte’s heavily publicized “death threat video.”
Calilung previously verified the authenticity of the recordings and outlined how the digital evidence was secured, while Lotoc explained the results of the bureau’s cybercrime unit regarding the Vice President’s remarks.
Adiong noted that Matibag is anticipated to address the loopholes left by the previous witnesses, whose accounts were restricted to their specific operational duties.
“So ito ang magiging baga finale nitong article IV, ang presentasyon ng House Prosecution Panel kay Director Matibag at ang pagbibigay niya ng information, facts surrounding the preliminary investigation conducted by the NBI,” he stressed.
“We would expect him to inform the court or appraise the court based on the knowledge that he has surrounding the preliminary investigation,” Adiong added of Matibag.
Private prosecutor and legal spokesperson Benjamin “Jay” Tolosa Jr. expressed similar sentiments, stating that the NBI director holds the ultimate authority to clarify the agency’s discoveries.
”Siya po (Matibag) ang makakapagbigay na linaw tungkol sa masusing investigation na ginawa ng NBI patungkol dito sa mamamatay-tao na kinausap ng Bise Presidente,” Tolosa said over the weekend.
However, Tolosa clarified that the prosecution does not need to establish the physical presence of a hitman or show that an actual plot was set in motion to prove Article IV.
Instead, he pointed out that the impeachment case rests heavily on Duterte’s public declarations, which the prosecution maintains are sufficient to warrant removal from office.
“Importante na mayroon na siyang ginawang pagbabanta na labag sa batas at ‘yung sinabi niyang gagawin niya ay isang masamang bagay na labag sa batas at naproduce ang effect na gusto niya na makapagtakot doon sa mga taong pinagbabantaan niya,” Tolosa said.
Bicol Saro Party-list Representative Terry Ridon, who serves on the 11-member House prosecution panel, remarked that Matibag’s appearance could provide deeper clarity on the agency’s overall inquiry.
“Hindi po namin alam kung ano po ’yung mangyayari doon sa pagsalang ni Director Matibag. Pero siyempre ang focus talaga namin is to let him speak his truth, particularly on ’yung kabuuang komprehensibong investigation na ginawa po ng NBI,” Ridon said.
“Basically, he will complete the NBI’s investigation on the threats made by the Vice President and whether there are continuing threats by the Vice President against the President and his family,” he said of Matibag.