Sara Duterte on NBI's Matibag: 'I'm not interested in him, he's a nobody'

(I'm not interested in him. No one is interested in Atty. Matibag. He's a nobody.)

GMA News Online reached out to Matibag for a comment, but he has yet to respond as of posting time.

The NBI on Tuesday referred its fact-finding investigation report on the vice president's Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) to the Office of the Ombudsman for evaluation and appropriate action.

The investigation compared the vice president's SALN in 2024-2025 to the certified true copies of land titles obtained from the Land Registration Authority (LRA).

Duterte said she will give her explanation on the NBI findings to the Office of the Ombudsman.

"'Yung regarding sa Statement of Assets and Liabilities ko, it is already a subject in the impeachment. At sinubmit na rin 'yun sa Ombudsman. So ito 'yung mga proper forum kung saan mas makakabuti doon kami magbigay ng aming sagot at explenasyon. Kaysa sa makipagsagutan tayo kay Atty. Matibag na nakita naman natin na mali-mali 'yung mga sinasabi," she said.

(Regarding my statements of assets and liabilities, these are already a subject of the impeachment proceedings. They were also submitted to the Ombudsman. These are the proper forums where it would be best for us to provide our response and explanation—rather than responding to Atty. Matibag, whose statements, as we have seen, are riddled with errors.)

'Political persecution'

Meanwhile, Atty. Paolo Panelo Jr., spokesperson for the vice president, said Duterte declared all her assets and liabilities in her SALN "correctly and in good faith."

"The series of press conferences by NBI Director Melvin Matibag on supposed discrepancies in properties declared in the Vice President's SALN is just the latest example of the Marcos administration's weaponization of government institutions for political persecution," Panelo said in a statement.

"The Vice President maintains that she declared all her assets and liabilities in her SALN correctly and in good faith, and all allegations to the contrary are false. She is confident this will be proven in the impeachment trial, and if necessary, before the Ombudsman once given formal notice," he added.

The Office of the Ombudsman has vowed to conduct an impartial probe on the NBI's referral on alleged missing declarations of the Vice President in her SALN.

The NBI is also investigating the accounts of dismissed police officer Rodulfo Gracioso Jr., a former member of the security detail of former House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, who alleged that he delivered suitcases containing cash to the vice president, former president Rodrigo Duterte, and Davao City 1st District Representative Paolo "Pulong" Duterte on Velasco's instructions.

Gracioso estimated that he had delivered more than P2 billion to Sara Duterte.

Matibag has said the bureau is investigating properties supposedly linked to the vice president and her family to follow a pattern that was established in Gracioso's affidavit.

The vice president, Congressman Duterte, and Velasco have denied the allegations. Velasco has insisted that the allegations have "no basis." Congressman Duterte, for his part, have dismissed Gracioso's claims as "pure fiction" and a "fairy-tale lie."

Panelo said Matibag aired the NBI findings publicly without previously informing the vice president and giving her an opportunity to respond.

"That is not the work of a fair and impartial investigative body. That is a shameless smear campaign against the Vice President using public funds, headlined by a man with a documented conflict of interest against her," Panelo said.

He also questioned why the NBI findings were excluded by the prosecution in the impeachment trial, where the defense could answer. — VDV, GMA News