Matibag to Cayetano: Face Me at the Proper Blue Ribbon Hearing
National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag on Friday challenged Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano to face him at the next hearing of the proper Senate blue ribbon committee investigating the flood control scandal. The challenge highlights the ongoing power struggle in the upper chamber, with the Marcos-appointed NBI chief refusing to legitimize what he calls a legally baseless inquiry by a rival faction.
Alan Peter Cayetano is still a member of the Senate. If he wants to face me and question me, he should attend the hearing on Monday. I will be there, Matibag said.
A Question of Legitimacy
The challenge follows a Thursday hearing called by Cayetano and his allies, where 18 former Marines repeated claims of delivering hundreds of millions of pesos from former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co allegedly to President Marcos, former Speaker Martin Romualdez, and other politicians.
However, the legitimacy of that hearing is in serious doubt. Following a Senate leadership shake-up on June 3, a new majority of 12 senators elected Sen. Sherwin Win Gatchalian as acting Senate president and declared all chamber seats vacant. Sen. Erwin Tulfo has since taken over as chair of the blue ribbon committee, replacing Cayetano's sister, Sen. Pia Cayetano.
Matibag confirmed he received a valid invitation from the proper committee. I will attend, there's no problem, he stated.
From ICC Warrant to Senate Shootout
The bad blood between the two officials flared on May 11 when NBI agents attempted to serve an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant on Sen. Ronald Bato dela Rosa, a close Cayetano ally. Dela Rosa evaded the arrest and has gone into hiding after being absent from the Senate for six months.
Tensions boiled over on May 13 when multiple shots were fired inside the Senate building. An angry Cayetano claimed the Senate was under attack and pointed fingers at NBI agents. A subsequent police investigation, however, disputed his account, stating the Senate's chief security officer fired first and that most of the shots came from his men.
Hours after the shooting, Dela Rosa, aided by Sen. Robinhood Padilla, escaped the Senate's protective custody. The Department of Justice has since declared the former national police chief a fugitive. Cayetano excused the escape, saying Dela Rosa was free to leave anytime.
Not Just Barbershop Talk
Matibag lamented that Cayetano failed to honor an agreement to hold Dela Rosa in custody and turn him over to authorities. He stressed that the NBI respected the agreement by not entering the Senate without Cayetano's permission.
That was our man to man agreement. I respected that, Matibag noted.
When asked if he would attend a formally invited hearing by the Cayetano bloc, Matibag firmly rejected the idea.
Senator Alan's statement may sound fine in a barbershop or a noodle house. But if we are going to talk about legal matters, that's not how it's supposed to be done, he said.
They're not the legitimate blue ribbon committee, so I will not be appearing, the NBI chief added.
A Former Politician's Perspective
Speaking not just as NBI chief but as a former secretary general of PDP-Laban, Matibag defended the June 3 leadership change as legitimate. He pointed out that under the current status quo, Gatchalian is the recognized acting Senate President and Tulfo heads the blue ribbon committee.
Matibag, 55, also observed that Cayetano refuses to give up his seat despite the new majority's vote. He is the only one who recognizes himself as the Senate president, Matibag remarked.
No new Senate president has been elected since that would require at least 13 votes in accordance with the Constitutional requirement.
Drawing from his own background as a former politician married to a three-term congresswoman, and raised by parents who were both election officers, Matibag stressed his deep understanding of political dynamics and the importance of respecting institutional processes over political theatrics.