Malacañang on Thursday named lawyer Melvin Alvarez Matibag as the new director of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the country’s premier investigative agency.

Palace Press Officer and Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said the appointment was based on the President’s confidence in Matibag’s ability to serve.

She said Marcos appointed Matibag because “there is trust” and because he was seen as someone “who can be relied on and can work for the government,” adding that the main reason for the appointment had not yet been fully explained to her.

Matibag, a former Secretary to the Cabinet during the end part of the Duterte administration, has not responded to requests for comment.

He has held several senior posts in government-owned and controlled corporations, including as general manager and assistant general manager for operations at the Manila International Airport Authority, and as president and chief executive officer of the National Transmission Corporation.

Matibag has also been active in legal education. He taught law at San Sebastian College and Universidad de Manila and, in 2025, became the first dean of the College of Law at Lyceum of Alabang when the program was launched.

A graduate of the University of Santo Tomas with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy, Matibag earned his law degree from the Ateneo de Manila University School of Law and later completed a master of laws in corporate and finance law at Wayne State University in the United States. 

In politics, Matibag previously served as secretary general of Partido Demokratiko Pilipino Lakas ng Bayan. He resigned from the party in October 2023, citing policy disagreements and political alignment issues.

Matibag is married to Ma. Rene Ann Lourdes Garcia-Matibag, a member of the House of Representatives representing Laguna’s 1st District.

His formal assumption of office and oath-taking had yet to be scheduled.