PH senator-judges reject NBI chief’s plea to reschedule testimony in VP impeachment trial

Senator-judge Alan Peter Cayetano questioned National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag’s request to reschedule his testimony before the impeachment court, saying it would set a bad precedent to allow government officials to dictate their availability to the Senate.

During the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday, July 13, 2026, Cayetano objected to Matibag’s request, which was relayed to the prosecution. In a letter dated July 10, Matibag asked if he could testify earlier than scheduled so he could attend a two-day conference in Thailand with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Royal Thai Police next week.

Cayetano said senators themselves had set aside official duties, including foreign and local engagements, to attend the impeachment proceedings. He insisted that Bureau heads should do the same.

“I find it in bad taste that a bureau head will dictate to us that he’s not available next week,” Cayetano said.

The senator warned that the request could create a bad precedent by allowing government officials to adjust the impeachment court’s schedule based on their personal commitments.

Meanwhile, Senator-judge Win Gatchalian expressed concern over last-minute changes to the witness schedule, emphasizing that senator-judges need sufficient time to review thousands of pages of evidence and prepare their questions to ensure a fair, orderly, and thorough examination of witnesses.

Gatchalian backed Cayetano’s objection to Matibag's request.

"It's not only the prosecution and defense panels who prepare for these proceedings. The senator-judges prepare as well. In fact, many of us spent the weekend studying the witnesses who will be presented this week and prepare the questions we intend to ask," Gatchalian said in Filipino.

"We've also been reviewing the evidence uploaded for senator-judges, and we're not talking about a small volume. We're talking about thousands of pages off documents and pieces of evidence," he added.

Gatchalian said inserting a witness into the schedule at the last minute would leave senator-judges with insufficient time to study the accompanying documents and evidence or adequately prepare for questioning.

He said such "surprise" changes would be unfair to senator-judges who had already devoted significant time to prepare for the scheduled proceedings.

-Paraluman News