Manila Bulletin
Philippines
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Matibag is coming: Prosecution tags NBI chief as last witness for VP Duterte death threat article
Philippines
National
Matibag is coming: Prosecution tags NBI chief as last witness for VP Duterte death threat article
Matibag is coming: Prosecution tags NBI chief as last witness for VP Duterte death threat article
Published Jul 15, 2026 07:04 pm
At A Glance
- The House prosecution panel will conclude its presentation on article IV next week, with NBI Director Melvin Matibag serving as the final witness after dropping six others deemed redundant or unnecessary.
- Lead prosecutor Rep. Gerville Luistro confirmed that earlier testimonies from NBI officials had already authenticated Duterte's death threat video and established the seriousness of the threat.
- The panel withdrew remaining witnesses—including PNP, journalists, a sheriff, a victim's family member, and a psychiatrist—citing redundancy, surplusage, and lack of necessity, as evidence had sufficiently covered their points.
NBI Director Melvin Matibag, Vice President Sara Duterte (Contributed photo, MANILA BULLETIN)
The House prosecution panel is set to conclude its presentation of evidence on article IV of the articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte next week, with National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag being its final witness on the matter.
Thus, said lead prosecutor Batangas 2nd district Rep. Gerville "Jinky Bitrics" Luistro in a manifestation on day six of Duterte’s Senate impeachment trial on late Wednesday afternoon, July 15.
Earlier in the same manifestation, Luistro told presiding officer Senator Francis "Chiz" Escudero that the prosecution would be dropping six more witnesses under article IV, which covered the allegations of grave threats and inciting to sedition against the respondent.
“This withdrawal, Your Honor, renders Attorney Melvin Matibag, the NBI director, as our last witness for threat, who will be testifying this coming Tuesday (July 21), Your Honor,” Luistro manifested.
She said the panel was withdrawing witnesses whose testimonies it considered were redundant, cumulative or no longer necessary.
During Tuesday night's hearing, the prosecution dropped the names of witnesses Office of the Vice President (OVP) Chief-of-staff Zuleika Lopez and Captain Belinda Bello of the House of Representatives’ Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms (OSAA) from its list, for practically the same reason.
"We would like to acknowledge the positive response of the Honorable Impeachment Court to our previous manifestation," Luistro said.
The prosecution panel originally listed 11 witness for article IV, which some House members have dubbed as the strongest allegation against the twice-impeached Duterte.
Senior Agent John Mark Calilung and Regional Director Jeremy Lotoc of the NBI have already taken the witness stand. Calilung confirmed the authenticity of Duterte’s Nov. 23, 2024 death threat video while Lotoc shared the agency's findings that the threat was "serious, actual, and real".
Withdrawn witnesses
Luistro said the prosecution was withdrawing the remaining witnesses because their testimonies had become unnecessary, citing “redundancy, surplusage, and lack of necessity.”
The withdrawn witnesses are a representative from the Philippine National Police (PNP) Firearms and Explosives Office, journalists Mikhail Flores and Bonz Magsambol, Sheriff Abe Andres, a family member of a threat victim, and a psychiatrist.
Luistro said the PNP witness was no longer needed because the evidence had already established that authorities took Duterte’s alleged threats seriously.
“It has been shown already that the government took seriously the threat. As a matter of fact, it prompted the full-scale investigation, including the recommendation to file a criminal complaint,” she said.
She added that the journalists’ testimony had become unnecessary after Calilung authenticated the video and the defense admitted its authenticity.
The prosecution also withdrew Sheriff Andres because both parties had already acknowledged the 2011 incident in which Duterte allegedly punched him during a demolition operation.
Luistro said the testimonies of a victim’s family member and a psychiatrist had likewise become unnecessary because the evidence presented had sufficiently established the circumstances surrounding Duterte’s statements.