NBI chief to be last witness in VP Duterte threat issue; confidential funds next

MANILA, Philippines — The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) chief, Melvin Matibag, will be the last witness on July 21 as the House winds up its examination of the grave threat charge, which is part of the last of four articles of impeachment filed against Vice President Sara Duterte. According to its statement on Wednesday, the House prosecution panel has withdrawn the appearance of several other witnesses. “This withdrawal, Your Honor, renders Attorney Melvin Matibag, the NBI director, as our last witness for threat, who will be testifying this coming Tuesday, Your Honor,” Rep. Gerville Luistro, the House least prosecutor, said in her manifestation. READ: Impeach court to prosec, defense: No need to explain witnesses’ withdrawal The prosecution had earlier decided to forgo the testimonies of Duterte’s former chief of staff, Zuleika Lopez, and the House Legislative Security Bureau executive director, Capt. Belinda Bello. The prosecution announced the withdrawal after NBI Regional Director Jeremy Lotoc completed his testimony, allowing the panel to remove witnesses whose accounts would cover matters already established during the trial. “First of all, we would like to acknowledge the positive response of the Honorable Impeachment Court to our previous manifestation. Accordingly, we would like to reiterate that the prosecution will no longer be presenting Attorney Zuleika Lopez, as well as Captain Belinda Bello, reiterating, however, the same concern on redundancy, surplusage and lack of necessity,” Luistro explained. Luistro also withdrew a representative of the Philippine National Police Firearms and Explosives Office, journalists Mikhail Flores and Bonz Magsambol, Sheriff Abe Andres, a relative of one of the alleged threat victims, and a psychiatrist after reviewing the evidence already placed on record. “The witness intended to testify that the respondent owns firearms, including high-powered ones, which demonstrate the capacity and capability to execute a threat. On the other hand, Your Honor, it has already been shown that the government took the threat seriously, and, as a matter of fact, it prompted the full-scale investigation, including the recommendation to file a criminal complaint,” she noted of the proposed police witness. The prosecution likewise determined that the two journalists were no longer needed to confirm Duterte’s statements during the Nov. 23, 2024, video conference because an NBI agent had authenticated the recordings and the defense had subsequently acknowledged that the videos were genuine. “Agent Calilung already established that the video is authentic, plus considering, Your Honor, the defense’s subsequent admission that the same are authentic videos, Your Honor,” Luistro stressed. Article IV accuses Duterte of culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust over her recorded statements concerning President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, which prompted an NBI investigation and a recommendation to file criminal complaints for grave threats and inciting to sedition. With Matibag set to wrap up the prosecution’s threat case, the panel is preparing to begin its presentation on Article I on July 22 by seeking subpoenas for a House legislative archives official and two former LandBank branch managers connected to Duterte’s confidential fund transactions. “We would like to beg the kind indulgence of the Honorable Impeachment Court to note our next witnesses. This will be in support of Article I, confidential funds, and if we will be presenting Attorney Melvin Matibag on Tuesday, then this means that the first witness for confidential funds will be presented on July 22, that is Wednesday,” Luistro explained. “We are requesting that we be allowed to request the issuance of subpoenas for our first three witnesses for confidential funds, including Marivic Pareja of the Legislative Archives and Museum Management Service of the House of Representatives, and two LandBank employees, Violeta Constantino, former branch manager of the LandBank Shaw Boulevard branch, and Nenita Camposano, former branch manager of the LandBank DepEd branch,” Luistro added. /atm