VP Sara Duterte's defense team tags NBI chief’s testimony as ‘hearsay’

Defense attorneys in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial moved to dismantle the testimony of NBI Director Melvin Matibag on Day 8 (July 21, 2026), arguing he lacked personal knowledge of an investigation into alleged threats made by Duterte.

Matibag, the prosecution’s final witness for Article IV (alleged threats against top officials), admitted under cross-examination that he was not involved in the NBI's initial probe—which included subpoenas issued to Duterte and two journalists.

Matibag acknowledged that he did not personally know the details on the subpoenas issued to journalists Bonz Magsambol and Red Mendoza, explaining that he only assumed office as NBI director in February.

Defense counsel Mark Vinluan pressed Matibag on the legal definition of hearsay, provocatively equating it to the Tagalog slang for gossip: chismis. “Ano ba yung hearsay sa tagalog? Sabi-sabi or chismis? Is that a fair translation? What is a fair translation to you?” Vinluan asked Matibag.

“I’ll just use my own translation, chismis. At any rate, kung wala kang personal knowledge, chismis lang yon, tama?” Vinluan added.

Matibag, a seasoned legal practitioner, rejected the comparison, stating he had never heard "hearsay" equated to "chismis" in court. The prosecution also clarified that Matibag’s testimony was supported by official NBI records.

However, defense lawyer Michael Poa later reiterated outside the courtroom that without direct involvement, official records alone do not spare a witness's testimony from being hearsay. “Ang sinasabi natin is pagdating dun sa unang investigation na wala siyang personal knowledge, yun po ay tinatawag nating hearsay,” Poa told reporters.

“Ibig sabihin wala kang personal na kaalaman kasi hindi ka na-involve doon sa investigasyon na yun,” he added.

-Paraluman News