July 22, 2026 | Senate Impeachment Court, Pasay City

The Senate impeachment court closed out Article IV, the grave-threats charge against Vice President Sara Duterte, on its ninth trial day Wednesday, two days ahead of the original schedule. Defense counsel Mark Vinluan finished his cross-examination of NBI Director Melvin Matibag, and the prosecution waived redirect. Here are the highlights of Day 9:

NBI narrows hitman search to under 20 names

Under questioning from senators, Matibag said the bureau has narrowed its list to fewer than 20 names in the hunt for the person Duterte allegedly contracted, and investigators have begun approaching the families and associates of some of them. Asked by Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian to put a number on the odds of identifying the alleged assassin, Matibag placed it at six to seven out of ten, with an identification possible in three to six months, though he conceded the search could turn up nothing. He said one member of Duterte's own security detail is among the persons of interest, and that the network being examined extends beyond the Davao Death Squad to men still in active military or police service.

Senators press NBI on a “double standard”

Matibag was asked why the NBI appeared to treat the vice president differently from her brother, Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, whose own remarks about the president at a public rally were described as nearly identical to hers. Sen. Ping Lacson noted the bureau referred its complaint against the vice president to the Department of Justice for preliminary investigation, while Baste's remarks remain at the law enforcement level, and said he suspected a double standard. Matibag replied that the Baste case involves a conspiracy theory that takes longer to build, and that the bureau is treating those remarks as open-source material rather than a filed complaint, though it may consider grave-threats and inciting-to-sedition charges depending on how that inquiry develops.

Sen. Raffy Tulfo pressed further, citing past cases under the previous administration where a teacher, a construction worker, and an unemployed college graduate were arrested over threats and bounties against then-President Rodrigo Duterte. He said the NBI wields an “iron fist” for ordinary citizens and “kid gloves” for the powerful. Matibag said he could not speak to the NBI's actions before he became chief this year, but confirmed those earlier arrests were warrantless, which is why the cases were dismissed, and that the bureau now builds cases properly and leaves warrants to the courts. Asked hypothetically whether then-Vice President Leni Robredo would have been arrested for similar remarks against Rodrigo Duterte, Matibag said it was his personal opinion that she might have been.

A defense objection carries over

Vinluan continued pressing an objection first raised a day earlier: that the affidavit attributed to self-confessed Davao Death Squad hitman Arturo Lascañas was unsigned and never notarized, calling it “a mere scrap of paper” that Matibag could not testify to since he did not execute it.

A few lighter moments

The session had its share of levity despite the usual tension. When Vinluan asked Matibag who authored the Lascañas affidavit, the NBI chief answered, “Asked and answered, your honor,” a ruling call left to the bench. An amused Escudero reminded Matibag to leave rulings to the court, but granted the objection anyway, agreeing the question had already been answered. Tulfo also complained that the two-minute bell for senators' questions seemed to ring on time for some and not others; Escudero told the timekeeper to be consistent. And when told his time was up, Sen. Bong Go quipped that the clock should work like basketball, where a tie in the final two minutes earns a five-minute extension.

What Happens Next

With Article IV's evidence phase now fully closed on both the prosecution and defense side, the trial moves next to Article I, covering Duterte's alleged misuse of confidential funds. The court adjourned Wednesday and resumes Wednesday, July 29, skipping the following two Mondays and Tuesdays to accommodate the State of the Nation Address on July 27 and the “Kontra-SONA” on July 28.

Previous Trial Days

Day 1 (July 6): The Senate formally convened as an impeachment court; Sen. Chiz Escudero was elected presiding officer, ruled that 16 votes are needed to convict, and both panels delivered their opening statements.

Day 2 (July 7): The prosecution opened its case on Article IV; first witness NBI Senior Agent John Mark Calilung authenticated videos of the Vice President's November 2024 “kill” remarks, and prosecutors bared plans to call the Vice President herself as a hostile witness.

Day 3 (July 8): The defense cross-examined Calilung, who admitted no personal knowledge of any alleged hitman; the court granted subpoenas for OVP Chief of Staff Zuleika Lopez, while prosecutors sought the Vice President's bank and tax records.

Day 4 (July 13): NBI's Atty. Jeremy Lotoc testified the alleged threats were “real” and “serious” and not covered by free speech; “Operation Romanov” took center stage, with the NBI admitting it found no validated information on the alleged hitman.

Day 5 (July 14): Lotoc completed his testimony after the warning-versus-threat debate; the prosecution dropped Lopez and Bello as witnesses and shifted its sights to the Vice President's financial records.

Day 6 (July 15): Financial records and subpoena requests took center stage as both panels argued over bank and tax secrecy; the court set its ruling for July 20.

Day 7 (July 20): The session opened with a clash over Sen. Robin Padilla's off-topic manifestation on an Ombudsman matter, referred to the Senate as a legislative body; the impeachment court then granted the subpoena for the Vice President and Atty. Manases Carpio's bank, tax, and AMLC records.

Day 8 (July 21): NBI Director Melvin Matibag closed out Article IV's evidence phase, testifying to “persons of interest” in the alleged hitman probe while the prosecution introduced a Davao Death Squad affidavit and a 2011 assault video to argue a pattern of violence; Escudero admonished Matibag over the SEA Games flap, and Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano moved to file a written dissent against the subpoena ruling.

Day 9 (July 22): Defense counsel Mark Vinluan finished cross-examining Matibag, who told senators the NBI has narrowed its hitman search to fewer than 20 names and put the odds of identifying him at six to seven in ten; senators questioned a possible double standard in how the NBI has handled similar remarks by Duterte's brother, and the court closed Article IV's evidence phase before adjourning until July 29.

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