National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) director Melvin Matibag said he will no longer attend a regional summit in Bangkok, Thailand, after being scheduled to testify in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte on 21 July.

The regional summit on transnational crime, hosted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Royal Thai Police, is set for 21 and 22 July.

“We’re not going there anymore,” Matibag said, adding he instead sent a representative from the bureau to attend the summit.

Matibag recently asked Chief Impeachment Prosecutor and Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro to schedule his testimony before 20 July so he could attend the Bangkok meeting.

The Senate impeachment court, however, set his testimony for July 21. Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano railed against Matibag’s request to testify ahead of his schedule.

The prosecution is expected to present Matibag in support of Article IV of the Articles of Impeachment, which concerns Vice President Duterte’s alleged threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez