National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Atty. Melvin Matibag requested the House Prosecution Panel not to schedule his testimony in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte next week.
According to Matibag, he needs to attend summits abroad, including one alongside the Federal Bureau of Investigation at the inaugural Regional Summit on Scam Center Compounds and Transnational Organized Crime, which will take place in Bangkok, Thailand on July 21-22.
Matibag explained that he is ready to testify in the said impeachment trial, but he first needs to prioritize important matters related to his work.
“As Director of the Bureau, I will personally attend to represent the NBI at this summit of director- and commissioner general-level law enforcement across the Asia-Pacific, which will require my travel attendance on those dates,” Matibag said.
“In view thereof, I respectfully request that I be scheduled to take the witness stand prior to my departure so that my participation in the Summit will neither disrupt the proceedings nor delay the presentation of my testimony. I remain fully prepared to cooperate and to make myself available at any earlier date the Panel may determine,” he added.
Matibag was part of the witness for the fourth Article of Impeachment against Duterte, which was about her alleged threats against President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
As leader of the NBI, Matibag led the investigation on the said alleged threats, which was published on Meta in 2024.