Senate impeachment court asked to summon OVP's Zuleika Lopez, NBI's Matibag 

The House prosecution panel on Tuesday asked the Senate impeachment court to allow it to present Office of the Vice President (OVP) chief of staff Zuleika Lopez and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag as witnesses in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

The prosecution panel requested the issuance of subpoenas ad testificandum directing Lopez and Matibag to appear and testify before the impeachment court on July 13 to 15, 2026 at 2 p.m.

Tagged as “witnesses,” the prosecution said that the two’s testimonies are “material, relevant, and necessary to establish the allegations” under Article IV of the Articles of Impeachment against Duterte.

Article IV centers on the alleged grave threats and an assassination plot by the Vice President against President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former Speaker Martin Romualdez.

Duterte made the controversial remark in a late-night press conference in November 2024 at the House of Representatives where Lopez, her longtime aide, was detained after being cited in contempt.

To recall, Lopez was ordered detained after she was cited in contempt by the House panel for her supposed "undue interference" in the panel’s investigation into the confidential funds of the offices held by Duterte.

Following the alleged threat made by Duterte, the NBI had asked Facebook Meta to preserve the video of the Vice President’s virtual media conference.

The defense team of Duterte for her impeachment trial said she was only exercising her freedom of expression when she made the remark.

The Articles of Impeachment approved by the House for Senate action accuse Duterte of culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, betrayal of public trust, bribery, and other high crimes.

The impeachment trial formally began on Monday, July 6.

Underthe approved 92-day trial period, the impeachment court allotted 62 trial days for the prosecution to present its case and 30 trial days for the defense. — RSJ, GMA News