THE alleged grave threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. may already be enough to convict Vice President Sara Duterte in her impeachment trial, but questions about her finances and the use of confidential funds could prove even harder for the defense to explain.
Speaking at the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City, NBI Director Melvin Matibag said the first article of impeachment, which centers on the alleged threat against the President, already meets the standard for removal from office.
“Yung mismo pong extra judicial admission by the Vice President na kumausap siya ng mamamatay para patayin ang Presidente that already contains an impeachable offense,” Matibag said.
He stressed that impeachment does not require proof beyond reasonable doubt, unlike criminal cases.
“Hindi mo kailangan magkaroon ng conviction as long as there’s betrayal of public trust nandodoon po yun,” he added.
“Nasa Constitution po ang Oath of Office niya eh. Sabi niya to execute the laws and do justice to everyone. But when you think of killing somebody, that’s not doing justice. That’s not executing the law, that’s executing the President,” he added.
Matibag said that based on the evidence presented so far, the grave threat charge alone could already justify conviction.
“Doon pa lang sa 1st Article… that already warrants impeachment,” he said.
Despite this, Matibag said the allegations involving money—particularly confidential funds and possible unexplained wealth—may be a more serious problem for the Vice President’s camp.
“Palagay ko po ang mas malakas diyan yung sa financial eh,” he said.
The vice president is facing allegations of irregular use of ₱500 million from the OVP and ₱112.5 million from the Department of Education.
She is likewise facing charges of failing to truthfully declare assets in her 2022-2024 Statement of Assets Liabilities and Networth (SALN) and to divest from business interests.
Matibag said history shows that financial issues often carry more weight in impeachment cases.
“We impeached former Chief Justice Corona on the issue of SALN, financial yan… yung kay President Erap… the reason also is the envelope, financial din,” he said.
“So para sa tao, hindi mo pwedeng patawarin yan,” he added, noting that the public tends to be less forgiving when it comes to questions involving money.
At the same time, Matibag maintained that the prosecution’s case on the grave threat issue remains solid, saying defense lawyers failed to weaken the testimony of key witnesses.
“I think during the cross-examination, the defense was not able to impeach or to discredit yung mga testimony,” he said.
Matibag, Jeremy Lotoc, an NBI regional director who is the former head of the agency’s cybercrime division, and Senior Agent John Mark Calilung were prosecution witnesses for Article 4.
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