MANILA — The camp of Vice President Sara Duterte has raised a conflict-of-interest concern against National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag regarding an ongoing inquiry into allegations filed by Rodulfo Gracioso Jr.
In a press statement issued on Wednesday, October 14, legal counsel Atty. Paul Lawrence Lim asserted that Matibag harbors a clear political bias against the Vice President.
Lim pointed to past critical opinion columns authored by the NBI chief concerning Duterte, arguing that these writings compromise his objectivity in handling the case.
“As mentioned by the Vice President, the NBI Director is heavily burdened with a conflict of interest in his investigation into Mr. Rodulfo M. Gracioso, Jr.’s allegations against her,” Lim said.
“As shown in the impeachment case, Director Matibag has previously written scathing opinion articles against the Vice President, and is evidently politically biased against her,” he added.
Lim also criticized Matibag for making public statements that allegedly telegraph support for Gracioso while implying guilt on the part of the Vice President and her household amid ongoing political proceedings.
“With respect, his current publicity on the progress of what is supposed to be a live investigation—showing support for Mr. Gracioso and implying guilt to the Vice President and her family, simultaneous with the impeachment trial—appears to confirm this bias,” Lim noted.
The friction intensified following a briefing at The Manila Hotel on October 13, where Vice President Duterte lambasted the bureau for supposedly wasting taxpayers’ money.
Speaking during the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s 52nd Philippine Business Conference and Expo, Duterte denied owning properties displayed by Matibag during his recent presentation and questioned the deployment of state resources.
“Oo, yung presscon ni Melvin Matibag kahapon, nakakabahala dahil sila ay sweldado ng pamahalaan by taxpayers’ money at hindi natin nakikita na ginagamit na nila ng maayos yung resources sa national investigation. Kasi meron siyang mga ipinakitang mga photos kahapon na sinasabi niya na mga properties sa akin pero hindi naman sa akin,” Duterte stated.
She further expressed disappointment that some media entities accepted the agency’s presentations without verification, viewing the developments as part of a coordinated smear campaign.
“At ang nakakalungkot pa is pinaniwalaan siya ng mga individuals sa mainstream media at sa social media. Makikita naman natin sa pattern na paninira lang ito. At yun yung concerning the use of public funds to go after the political elements,” she said.
While her legal team weighs potential options, Duterte emphasized that they are currently prioritizing categorical denials while questioning the administration’s fairness and accountability.
“Sa ngayon, pinag-uusapan namin ng mga abogado, napakarami naman ng mga legal recourses na ginagawa ni Madriaga, ni Gracioso, ni Matibag, ni Trillanes. Kaso, we do not expect fairness from the government in general. So, pinapag-usapan lang,” she remarked.
“Pero wala namang kaming hakbang. Ang ginagawa lang namin sa ngayon ay sinasagot na hindi ito totoo. At bakit niyo ginagamit yung pera ng gobyerno sa paninira?,” she concluded.