NBI chief responds to Rep. Duterte’s cryptic remark

MANILA, Philippines — National Bureau of Investigation Director Melvin Matibag on Tuesday said that the NBI is always looking and probing into alleged illegal activities of individuals, in reaction to a recent social media post of Davao City Rep. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte.

Rep. Duterte on Monday posted that a “government agency facing issues with leadership integrity” had supposedly ordered the NBI’s Investigation Division for Public Corruption to investigate the assets of the Dutertes.

“Ang NBI is continuing investigating anyone na may involvement sa mga ilegal na gawain. So if other people feel na ako yung pinatutungkulan niya, and then kung meron siyang kinalaman sa mga krimen, then he will be investigated,” Matibag pointed out in an ambush interview.

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(The NBI is continuing to investigate anyone who is involved in illegal activities. So if other people feel that I am the one being alluded to, and then if he is involved in crimes, then he will be investigated.)

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In the Facebook post, Duterte called out a certain “Mr. Matibay,” saying that the Duterte family should not be compared to his “corrupt” bosses.

“Excuse me, Mr. Matibay. Huwag ninyo kaming itulad sa mga amo ninyong nuknukan ng korap. Ano ba ang tingin ninyo sa mga bahay namin? Nasa Forbes Park? Corinthians? Valle Verde?” the congressman said in the post.

(Excuse me, Mr. Matibay. Don’t compare us to your bosses who are extremely corrupt. What do you think of our houses? In Forbes Park? Corinthians? Valle Verde?)

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But Matibag said he does not think that he is the one being alluded to in Duterte’s post since his name was not explicitly mentioned. 

The NBI director also neither confirmed nor denied ordering an investigation into the Duterte family’s assets.

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READ: Castro to Paolo Duterte: Don’t blame Marcos for past corruption

Nonetheless, he emphasized that “no one is above the law” and that the bureau will investigate anyone who would be reportedly involved in any illegal acts, such as corruption.

“If there’s a report of corruption or just a whiff of corruption, iimbestigahan natin yan,” said Matibag.

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(If there’s a report of corruption or just a whiff of corruption, we will investigate it.) /gsg