Melvin Matibag (left) and Laguna 1st district Rep. Ma. Rene Ann Lourdes Matibag (Facebook)

Lawyer Melvin Matibag, husband of Laguna 1st district Rep. Ma. Rene Ann Lourdes Matibag, has resigned as secretary-general and member of erstwhile ruling party Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) over conflict on the confidential funds iissue.

"I am resigning as secretary-general and as a member of Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan," read a copy of the resignation letter obtained by the Manila Bulletin. 

Atty. Matibag confirmed the authenticity of the letter in a viber message on Friday afternoon, Oct. 20. 

The letter, which was addressed to PDP-Laban chairman and former president Rodrigo Duterte, further read: "I apologize for the apparent inopportuneness of my resignation. However, I will always be available to give assistance to ensure smooth and seamless transfer of my duties and responsibilities." 

"I am forever grateful for [the] trust and confidence you have bestowed to me as the party's secretary-general. I believe I have shown my loyalty to you as the chairman by helping to steer the party in the direction you have taken, especially during the national elections of 2019 and 2022," it read. 

"I will always hold dear the opportunities and the experiences I gained in my journey as a member of the party...I wish the party leadership well and I hope for PDP-Laban's success in the future," Atty. Matibag further said. 

It was in a separate statement Friday that the lawyer bared that his reason for leaving the party had to do with the confidential funds issue. 

"My personal position on the issue of confidential funds appears to have been misinterpreted as being opposed to the views of the party chairman," he said, referring to the ex-president. 

"Further, I will not be a part of a political party that will run against the institution where my wife belongs. Thus, to avoid further intrigue and confusion - for the interest of the party I am resigning as secretary general and as a member of PDP-Laban," he said. 

Last week, former president Duterte assailed the House of Representatives after the legsilative chamber reduced to zero the P650-million confidential funds being sought by his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, under the proposed 2024 national budget. 

The elder Duterte linked the House leadership to alleged misuse of public funds and said that it had to undergo audit.

In an opinion piece, Atty. Matibag said “I am against the Office of the Vice President (OVP) being allocated the CIFs because the Vice President has no duty under the Constitution that requires them to secure our common defense. I have nothing against Vice President Sara Duterte. I am just against civilian agencies being accorded with secret funds,” he said. 

The lawyer reckoned that the “sound policy…is to strictly allocate CIFs to agencies mandated to protect us in the five domains of warfare — land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace". 

“They should be allocated with definitive standards and parameters, such as the degree of threats, the value of tools needed, etc. Of course, the President, as the commander-in-chief, is necessarily afforded the fund,” he added.

Rep. Matibag is a member of the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) party, whose president is House Speaker Martin Romualdez. She joined Lakas-CMD last Sept. 28.