House summons NBI chief over Sara’s kill threats

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April 10, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — The House committee on justice has subpoenaed National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag to provide documents related to its probe into Vice President Sara Duterte’s threats to kill top government officials, among the grounds for the filing of impeachment complaints endorsed by several lawmakers.

The House panel specifically required the NBI to produce “duly certified copies of all the records of the NBI’s investigation into the threats made by Vice President Duterte” in November 2024 against President Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former speaker Martin Romualdez.

“You are hereby directed to appear before the Committee on Justice on April 14, 2026, 10 a.m., at the 2nd Floor of the People Center, House of Representatives, and to submit the following documents,” said the order to Matibag dated March 31.

The House committee also sought “certified true copies of all documents and photographs gathered in the course of the above-mentioned investigation.”

According to the order, the documents are needed “for the Committee to be apprised of the outcome of the NBI investigation, and the information and evidence gathered by the NBI in the course of its investigation.”

The subpoena was issued “by authority of the Committee,” bearing the signatures of justice committee chairperson Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro, Speaker Faustino Dy III and House Secretary General Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil.

The House panel is currently conducting hearings to determine whether there is sufficient basis to elevate the impeachment complaints to the plenary for transmittal to the Senate.

No TRO, House proceeds

The House committee on justice will proceed with the impeachment hearings against Duterte in the absence of a temporary restraining order from the Supreme Court, Luistro said yesterday.

“In the absence of a temporary restraining order (TRO), the Committee will proceed as scheduled. We maintain our position that all proceedings of the House Committee on Justice are fully constitutional,” Luistro said, noting that the panel is “strictly following the rules of the House, the Constitution, and relevant Supreme Court rulings.”

Luistro said the committee will move forward with its scheduled hearings on April 14, 22 and 29 in the absence of any court-issued restraint.

Luistro also downplayed issues raised by the Vice President’s camp, describing them as largely procedural.

“The issues being raised are largely technical in nature,” she said, stressing that the focus should be on the public’s right to demand accountability from officials.

Luistro added that the justice panel is also in full compliance with constitutional limits, particularly the one-year bar rule. “The Committee is fully compliant with the one-year bar rule as interpreted by the Supreme Court. We see no violation of any constitutional limitation,” Luistro said.

Not a distraction

The ongoing impeachment proceedings are not a distraction from pressing national concerns like the global oil crisis but a crucial step in helping Filipinos make the right choice in the 2028 elections, Manila 3rd district Rep. Joel Chua said yesterday.

“The impeachment is not a distraction. It is a preparation for the right choice in 2028,” Chua in a statement.

“We cannot delay accountability because there is a crisis. Crisis reveals leadership, that is why accountability now is important,” Chua said.

Chua has rejected the notion that the government must choose between addressing the impeachment case and responding to the oil crisis.

“We have to address both issues,” he said.