A series of opinion columns written by National Bureau of Investigation Director Melvin Matibag criticizing Vice President Sara Duterte was the centerpiece of the defense’s cross-examination on Tuesday, as they questioned whether the NBI chief had already formed a judgment before overseeing an investigation that became part of her impeachment trial.

Defense lawyer Mark Vinluan pressed Matibag over three columns he wrote for the DAILY TRIBUNE in 2024 — Inday Sara, the Bratinella,” “The Bratinella is a flat spare type,” and “Bratinella, Sara, and her bad habits” — asking if he was the author of the pieces.

Matibag confirmed that he wrote the columns, but said they represented his views as a columnist and were separate from his duties as head of the NBI.

Vinluan cited a passage from “Bratinella, Sara, and her bad habits”: “As Inday Sara is being unmasked in the legislative inquiries and by her own mouth as an ill-bred Bratinella, her public trust crumbles.”

“Before you testified today, there were already instances in the past where you shared your public opinions against VP Sara,” Vinluan told Matibag during cross-examination.

Matibag explained that his use of the term “bratinella” was based on what he heard former President Rodrigo Duterte call her during his time working with him.

Before becoming NBI director, Matibag had served in the Duterte administration as acting Cabinet secretary and he was also secretary-general of PDP-Laban, the political party then associated with the former president.

His appointment as NBI chief came in February 2026, placing him at the helm of the bureau during the impeachment proceedings involving the former president’s daughter.

“I wrote that because that was what I heard former president Duterte call her when I was with him. He called Sara a ‘bratinella,’” Matibag told the Senate impeachment court.

He said the column reflected his personal opinion at the time and was unrelated to the NBI’s investigation.

“As an NBI director, I don’t think this is material,” Matibag said, adding that the bureau’s findings were based on evidence, the law, and the investigative process.

Vinluan then presented a Social Weather Stations survey showing Duterte with a 57 percent trust rating and Marcos with 34 percent. He asked Matibag whether he still stood by his assessment of her despite the survey result.

“A survey is just a snapshot of what’s happening. It doesn’t necessarily follow that once it comes out, it’s the truth,” Matibag said.