Duterte First Called Sara a 'Bratinella,' NBI Chief Tells Impeachment Trial

In a revelation that has shaken the political landscape, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag testified during Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial that it was her own father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, who first labeled her a bratinella (spoiled brat). The admission came as defense lawyers questioned Matibag's credibility and potential bias, citing his own opinion columns that used the term.

Matibag, a former member of the Dutertes' inner circle and once a cabinet secretary under the elder Duterte, told the court that he borrowed the phrase from the former president himself. Well first of all, maybe the title 'Bratinella', that is not my original, in fact that's why I wrote that is because I heard it when I was together with former president Duterte, that he called Inday Sara as 'Bratinella,' Matibag said under cross-examination by defense lawyer Mark Vinluan.

The testimony, delivered on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, has reignited conversations about the fractured relationship between the Duterte patriarch and his daughter, who has long been considered his favorite child. The elder Duterte's history of public criticism toward Sara is well documented. In February 2026, Palace press officer Claire Castro reminded the Vice President that her father had called her a drama queen after she was seen teary-eyed in Davao City. That label dates back to April 2016, when the former president dismissed her reaction to his controversial joke about the gang-rape and murder of Australian missionary Jacqueline Hamill.

What Did Matibag Write About Vice President Duterte?

During the trial, Vinluan presented three opinion pieces authored by Matibag in the Daily Tribune: Inday Sara, The Bratinella (September 12, 2024), The Bratinella is a flat spare tire (October 4, 2024), and Bratinella Sara and her bad habits (November 7, 2024). In one column, Matibag wrote: As Inday Sara is being unmasked in the legislative inquiries and by her own mouth as an ill-bred Bratinella, her public trust crumbles.

Vinluan pressed Matibag on whether these opinions influenced the NBI's investigation into the Vice President. Matibag insisted that the bureau's mandate remains impartial. A survey is just a snapshot of something, it doesn't necessarily follow that this survey is already set in stone. The NBI has a mandate, we cannot be swayed by public opinion or our personal opinion, he said.

Why Is This Testimony Important for the Impeachment Trial?

Matibag was the third and final prosecution witness for Article IV of the Articles of Impeachment, which alleges that Vice President Duterte made grave threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez. The threats came during an online briefing on November 23, 2024, when Duterte, frustrated over the detention of her chief-of-staff, said she had talked to a person about killing the three if she herself were killed.

The defense argues that Duterte's statements were protected free speech, while the prosecution contends they constitute a grave threat, regardless of whether an actual contract was made with an assassin. The trial continues to test the limits of political discourse in the Philippines, a nation where family loyalty and public office often collide.

As a nation that values both family and accountability, we must ask: Can a leader be judged fairly when her own father's words are used against her? Or is this simply the price of power in a democracy where no one is above scrutiny?