Jonathan Frederic De Santos

Defense counsel Mark Vinluan cross-examines National Bureau of Investigation Melvin Matibag on the eighth day of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte on July 21, 2026. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

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ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1784638729143viber_image_2026-07-21_18-11-25-517.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Defense counsel Mark Vinluan cross-examines National Bureau of Investigation Melvin Matibag on the eighth day of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte on July 21, 2026.<em> Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — There were few fireworks when National Bureau of Investigation Director Melvin Matibag gave his testimony — a House leader had hinted at an explosive disclosure — on the eighth day of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.</p><p>Batangas 2nd District Rep. Gerville Luistro, lead House prosecutor, quizzed Matibag on the NBI&#x27;s investigation into the alleged threats that Duterte made against Marcos Jr. and his relatives, including the possibility that she already had an arrangement with someone to do so.</p><p>During her examination of Matibag, Luistro had a video of Duterte&#x27;s brother Davao City Mayor Sebastian &quot;Baste&quot; Duterte speaking at a political rally in April where he seemed to call for Marcos Jr.&#x27;s head.</p><p>Matibag said the video was relevant to the probe because it showed the vice president&#x27;s 2024 statements were &quot;a kinetic force&quot; and that some who heard the alleged threats took her cue and made their own threats.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/21/matibag-told-avoid-statements-pertaining-to-members-of-impeachment-court-1607">Matibag told: ‘Avoid statements pertaining to members of impeachment court’</a></div><p>The NBI director said more than 600,000 people viewed the video of Mayor Duterte&#x27;s statements, which he said shows the reach of the alleged threat.</p><p>Matibag, like previous witnesses from the NBI, said <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/13/nbi-exec-jeremy-lotoc-testifies-before-senate-impeachment-court-1514">the bureau took Duterte&#x27;s statements seriously</a> because of the potential threat to national security.</p><p>The NBI director is the last prosecution witness on Duterte&#x27;s alleged threats. </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>LASCAÑAS AFFIDAVIT </strong></div><p>The prosecution also showed a 2011 video of Vice President Duterte punching a court sheriff when she was still Davao City mayor and featured an excerpt of alleged Davao Death Squad hitman Arturo Lascañas&#x27; affidavit on drug-related killings to repeated objections from defense counsel Mark Vinluan.</p><p>Vinluan stressed the defense&#x27;s objection to the Lascañas affidavit, which was submitted to the International Criminal Court but that Matibag had no personal knowledge on.</p><p>&quot;We cannot allow this witness to build his testimony based on this document,&quot; Vinluan also said, pointing out the affidavit is unsigned and was not notarized.</p><p>Luistro said the video and the affidavit were material <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/21/-pattern-of-violence-duterte-s-sheriff-punching-incident-raised-in-impeachment-trial-1603">since the NBI considered these in its investigation.</a></p><p>Matibag also referred to the affidavit as &quot;open source intelligence&quot; that the NBI used for leads.</p><p>Escudero allowed the presentation of the affidavit but reminded senators that its contents were not necessarily true and that the impeachment court was not saying that they were.</p><p>Matibag later told the impeachment court that the NBI already has persons of interest — people who may be involved in an investigation but who are not suspects — but <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/21/nbi-pursuing-persons-of-interest-in-duterte-s-alleged-threat-vs-marcos-1607">said he could not disclose who they are</a>.</p><p>&quot;[U]nang-una pong mangyayari rito ay makokompromiso po ang ating imbestigasyon at mailalagay po sa alanganin yun pong ating mga tinatawag na informants o assets na nasa ground na nagbibigay sa atin ng human intel na tinatawag,&quot; he said.</p><p>(First of all, it would compromsie the investigation and put our informants or assets on the ground giving us human [intelligence] at risk.)</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>DEFENSE BRINGS UP MATIBAG&#x27;S WIFE, OPINION COLUMNS</strong></div><p>During cross-examination, Vinluan raised that Matibag is married to Laguna 1st District Rep. Ann Matibag, one of the House members who supported Duterte&#x27;s impeachment.</p><p>The NBI director said his wife&#x27;s job &quot;is totally detached&quot; from his official duties.</p><p>When confronted with opinion pieces critical of Duterte that he had written for The Daily Tribune as well as an art card showing the vice president has retained a high trust rating, Matibag said the NBI &quot;cannot be swayed by public opinion [or our] personal opinion.&quot; </p><p>He also told Vinluan that trust ratings in surveys are different from the public trust that the Articles of Impeachment allege Duterte broke.</p><div><strong></strong></div><p>Matibag acknowledged that the Department of Justice, where the NBI filed its <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/2/20/doj-resolution-on-sara-duterte-s-inciting-to-sedition-grave-threats-cases-under-review-1841">Inciting to Sedition and Grave Threats complaints</a> against Duterte in February 2025,  has yet to find basis for the allegation that the vice president actually contracted a killer.</p><p>He said, though, that it is an open and continuing investigation.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>PIA CAYETANO SCOLDS PROSECUTION</strong></div><p>The defense asked to be allowed to continue cross-examination on Wednesday, giving senator-judges time to ask their own questions and to otherwise have the floor.</p><p><strong></strong>Sen. Pia Cayetano, one of the few senators who are also lawyers, took Luistro to task for including the Lascañas affidavit that the defense had repeatedly objected to.</p><p>She said the prosecution was &quot;trying to prove something&quot; by presenting the document and quoting from it even if Matibag had no personal knowledge on its contents and on how it was executed.</p><p>She added that the quoted portion &quot;cannot be unheard&quot; even if Escudero had stressed that the affidavit&#x27;s contents are hearsay.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/19/cayetanos-take-impeachment-issues-to-facebook-live-0839">Cayetanos take impeachment issues to Facebook Live</a></div><p>&quot;Do your job and present the proper witness and the proper documentation to [prove your case],&quot; she said in a rare raised voice in the trial day.<strong> — Jonathan de Santos, ABS-CBN News</strong></p><div><br/></div><div><em>Trial resumes at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, July 22</em><em></em><u><em></em></u></div>

<p>There were few fireworks when National Bureau of Investigation Director Melvin Matibag gave his testimony — a House leader had hinted at an explosive disclosure — on the eighth day of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.</p>

There were few fireworks when National Bureau of Investigation Director Melvin Matibag gave his testimony — a House leader had hinted at an explosive disclosure — on the eighth day of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

WRAP: Few fireworks in Matibag testimony that was touted 'explosive'

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WRAP: Few fireworks in Matibag testimony that was touted 'explosive'

ABS-CBN News

Published July 21, 2026 09:07 PM PHT

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Updated July 21, 2026 09:15 PM PHT

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Melvin Matibag

Sara Duterte

impeachment trial

Mark Vinluan

Gerville Luistro

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