PASAY CITY—National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag firmly denied being coached by the prosecution prior to taking the witness stand in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte. 

Standing before the court on July 21,  for the fourth article of impeachment, Matibag faced sharp questioning from defense counsel Atty. Mark Vinluan, who pressed the NBI chief on why he appeared to testify despite the absence of a formal subpoena summoning him to the court.

Matibag acknowledged that he met with lead House prosecutor Gerville Luistro twice before the proceedings, but maintained that the meetings were strictly professional overviews rather than a rehearsal. 

He clarified that the encounters only involved a discussion on the specific matters to be covered by his testimony. 

Pushing back against the defense's implications of bias, Matibag fired back at Vinluan, stating, "In the same way that when you want to present me as your witness, I will be more than willing to sit down with the defense counsel."

Beyond defending the integrity of his testimony, the NBI chief also flatly rejected allegations surrounding the political nature of his designation. 

Matibag denied claims that he was appointed to lead the NBI specifically to allow President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to participate in or influence the high-profile probe.

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