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Mark Ernest Villeza - The Philippine Star
July 23, 2026 | 12:00am
NBI Director Melvin Matibag in the witness stand at the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte on July 22, 2026.
Senate PRIB
MANILA, Philippines — There were no fireworks during the confrontation yesterday between Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag despite their word war over alleged anomalies in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.
As the Senate impeachment court was tackling the grave threat allegation against Vice President Sara Duterte, Cayetano asked Matibag why the NBI was “expanding” its “jurisdiction” after the latter said the bureau can investigate any crime motu proprio.
Cayetano said Matibag’s remark ran counter to the law that modernized the bureau – or Republic Act 10867 – which listed the crimes that it can investigate.
The cases that the NBI can investigate, according to the law, are “human trafficking cases in all airports, extrajudicial, extralegal killings committed by state security forces against media practitioners activities, killings of justices and judges, violation of the Cybercrime Prevention Act, cases from the Inter-Agency Anti-Graft Coordinating Council and violations of the Anti-Dummy Law,” Cayetano said.
Based on the law, the NBI is also mandated to investigate threats and assaults on the President, Vice President, Senate President, Speaker and Chief Justice. It is the President who can direct the NBI to investigate any crime “when public interest so requires,” Cayetano said.
“Why do they have to say any crime if you can do it… if you can investigate any crime after all? It seems that you’re expanding your jurisdiction by yourself,” Cayetano said.
Matibag said the scope of the bureau cannot be limited, it being the country’s “primary investigating body.”
“The list, yes it’s there. But it doesn’t limit our investigation,” he said. “We also have our primary role to make sure that law and order is being promoted through the NBI din po.”
Cayetano took issue with Matibag’s announcement that they are also investigating allegations that Cayetano’s bailiwick Taguig has ghost flood control projects.
Matibag was reprimanded on Tuesday by the court for his statements about Cayetano regarding the NBI probe on the SEA Games.
Ping tags 2 ghost projects in Taguig
Sen. Panfilo Lacson yesterday said he has information regarding two ghost projects in Taguig, part of Cayetano’s alleged P6.79-billion budget insertion in the 2025 national budget, of which P2.085 billion was allotted for slope protection and drainage projects.
Lacson accused Cayetano of having 25 percent kickbacks from these projects collected by an identified “bagman.”
“TAGUIG GHOST INFRA PROJECTS UPDATE: We have documented at least 2 case studies so far. Too many P100M slope protection and drainage projects totaling P2.085B out of the P6.79B insertions under the 2025 GAA,” Lacson wrote on X. “There is no turning back!”
Lacson said some of the projects by Cayetano when he was House speaker were linked to detained contractors Curlee and Sarah Discaya, but implemented by another contractor under a five percent royalty scheme.
Other projects were implemented by Topnotch Catalyst Builders, which is among the top 15 flood control project contractors announced by President Marcos last year.
