Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano invited NBI Director Melvin Matibag to appear before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee after a breaking report was read during the hearing claiming that the NBI had received information linking former congressman Mike Defensor to an alleged bribery attempt involving the 18 former Marines in the flood-control anomaly probe.
The report said Matibag revealed that the NBI received information that Defensor allegedly offered ₱5 million in relation to the former Marines’ testimony on alleged flood-control anomalies. Matibag reportedly said the information came from an individual with direct ties to one of the supposed former Marines. He also said the NBI had already issued a subpoena for Defensor to answer the allegation.
Cayetano said Matibag should personally appear before the committee, or send the agent who handled the information, so the claim could be tested under oath before Defensor and the 18 former Marines.
“Ngayon kung verified yung iyong impormasyon, ibig sabihin bilang imbestigador, NBI, ibig sabihin you have reasonable ground to believe na yung nagsabi sa’yo ay totoo. Pumunta ka dito under oath at pagkakataon mo ngayon makaharap si Congressman Mike Defensor at yung eighteen,” Cayetano said.
Cayetano also questioned whether Matibag’s information had been properly verified, stressing that the NBI chief should not allow an untested claim to remain outside the hearing while sworn witnesses were already being examined inside the Senate.
“Director Matibag, hindi pa naman kami matatapos. Imbitado ka ngayon, or kung sino yung agent mo na nagkwento sa’yo, pumunta ka dito para harapan tayong magkaalaman,” Cayetano said.
The invitation carries added weight because Matibag has already faced serious credibility attacks from PGMN over his public handling of the extortion allegations against PGMN CEO and Founder Franco Mabanta. PGMN has accused Matibag of repeatedly making false or unsupported claims in media, including his statement that around 200 people had supposedly reached out to him claiming Mabanta extorted money from them.
For PGMN, that history makes Matibag’s latest claim even more important to test under oath. If the NBI has real evidence, Matibag should present it before the Senate. If the information is weak, unverified, or politically useful but unsupported, then the public deserves to know before another major allegation is allowed to distort the flood-control investigation.
Cayetano said the matter goes to the heart of the inquiry: either the former Marines are telling the truth about a massive government-linked syndicate, or false or distorted testimony has entered a major public investigation. His invitation now puts the burden on Matibag to personally face the Senate and explain exactly what the NBI knows, who gave the information, and whether the claim can survive questioning under oath.
