Mark Ernest Villeza - The Philippine Star
October 16, 2026 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — National Bureau of Investigation Director Melvin Matibag is challenging Vice President Sara Duterte to file a case if she believes that the NBI is biased in its investigation on properties linked to her family.
Matibag insisted that the NBI inquiry is backed by official records and evidence.
“If they think I am biased, file a case,” Matibag said at a press briefing at the NBI headquarters yesterday as he responded to accusations that he was politically motivated in investigating the allegations raised by dismissed police officer Rodulfo Gracioso Jr. against the Vice President.
Matibag said the investigation had moved beyond Gracioso’s affidavit and is now focused on properties declared in Duterte’s statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN).
“Why would you declare these properties in your SALN? Why are the transfer certificates of title numbers described in your SALN?” Matibag said.
He said the NBI obtained copies of the titles from the Land Registration Authority (LRA), visited the properties based on their descriptions, conducted geotagging and interviewed residents to verify ownership.
“They were the ones who declared these properties. We did not create this evidence. They themselves declared that these were their properties,” he said.
Matibag cited an agricultural land in Catigan, Davao City, which he said was declared in Duterte’s SALN at a combined assessed value of about P890,000. He questioned the valuation after investigators documented the property.
“It is hardly acceptable that these properties are worth only P890,000,” he said, adding that the NBI had prepared a 79-page study detailing its validation process.
The NBI chief said the bureau forwarded its findings to the Office of the Ombudsman for appropriate action and would continue investigating other possible sources of funds and business links.
He said investigators are coordinating with the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) and are examining transactions involving corporations, including businessman Jaime T. Cruz, as well as funds from Cale88 and Pikimong Pikimong.
Matibag said the bureau was also looking into properties allegedly linked to other individuals, including former House speaker Lord Allan Velasco, and was handling more than 30 other flood control-related matters involving public officials.
He rejected claims that the investigation amounted to trial by publicity, saying the NBI was responding to matters of public interest and submitting evidence through established procedures.
“This is not trial by publicity. This is a matter of public interest,” he said. “We are looking at evidence, not personalities.”
Meanwhile, Matibag said the management of Casas Con Vistas Resort in Samal Island did not need to issue a statement denying ownership links to Davao City 1st district Rep. Paolo Duterte, saying the establishment was not the property identified in the NBI investigation.
Matibag clarified the issue, saying the resort had apparently been confused with a neighboring property allegedly linked to the congressman.
“There is no need for Casas Con Vistas to issue a statement because it was not the establishment being referred to, nor was it the property shown in the photographs. It is beside the property we were talking about,” Matibag said.
The resort management earlier denied social media reports claiming that Paolo Duterte or a government official had an ownership stake in the establishment.
Matibag said the NBI released photographs and videos of properties allegedly linked to members of the Duterte family as part of its investigation into possible discrepancies in their SALNs.
The Office of the Ombudsman, for its part, said it will conduct an impartial investigation on the alleged undeclared assets of the Vice President.
The anti-graft body issued the statement after receiving the referral from the NBI on the potential discrepancies in the Vice President’s SALNs.
“The referral and its supporting documents will undergo an initial evaluation to determine the appropriate action, including whether further investigation is warranted, in accordance with established procedures and applicable laws,” the Ombudsman said.
“The Office assures the public that the matter will be handled thoroughly, independently and without any political color,” it added. – Daphne Galvez