MANILA, Philippines — National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag will be the final prosecution witness on July 21 as the House prosecution panel concludes its presentation on the grave threats charge under the fourth article of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte.
House lead prosecutor Rep. Gerville Luistro told the Senate impeachment court on Wednesday that the prosecution had withdrawn several witnesses after determining their testimonies would be redundant following the testimony of NBI Regional Director Jeremy Lotoc.
The prosecution earlier dropped Vice President Duterte’s former chief of staff Zuleika Lopez and House Legislative Security Bureau Executive Director Capt. Belinda Bello as witnesses.
Luistro also withdrew a representative from the Philippine National Police Firearms and Explosives Office, journalists Mikhail Flores and Bonz Magsambol, Sheriff Abe Andres, a relative of one of the alleged threat victims, and a psychiatrist.
She said the proposed police witness was no longer necessary because the prosecution had already established that authorities took Duterte’s alleged threats seriously and launched a full-scale investigation.
The prosecution also said the journalists were no longer needed to authenticate Duterte’s Nov. 23, 2024 video statements after an NBI agent verified the recordings and the defense acknowledged their authenticity.
Article IV accuses Duterte of culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust over her alleged threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former Speaker Martin Romualdez.
After Matibag’s testimony, the prosecution plans to begin presenting evidence on the confidential funds issue under Article I on July 22, starting with House legislative archives official Marivic Pareja and former LandBank branch managers Violeta Constantino and Nenita Camposano, for whom it is seeking subpoenas.
