FACT CHECK: NBI Chief Matibag not removed from post after Senate gunfire

Claim: National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag was removed from his post following the Senate shootout.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: A YouTube video uploaded on May 14, 2026, by the channel “PINAS BALITA TV,” with the title “Nakarma na! Matibag, wala ng takas! Pinatalsik na sa pwesto? All senators, galit na! Utos, pirmado na!”.  

(Karma! No escape for Matibag! Fired from his position? All senators are angry! An order has been signed!)

The thumbnail shows images of senators and Matibag with this text: “Sibak na! Matibag, nasampolan” (It’s over! Matibag made an example of) and “Pinatalsik na sa pwesto!” (Fired from position!)

As of writing, the video has garnered over 26,000 views, 1,700 likes, and 300 views. 

The facts: Matibag was not removed, dismissed, or replaced as head of the investigation bureau. He remains in office and continues to perform his duties as director.

On May 14, Matibag appeared at a Malacañang Palace press briefing with Palace spokesperson Claire Castro and PNP Chief Jose Melencio Nartatez to address the gunfire incident at the Senate the previous night — indicating he remains in his post.

Department of Justice acting secretary Frederick Vida said there is no reason to suspend Matibag over the incident based only on the suggestion of Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano. Vida also said that he does not have the power to do so. 

Senate shooting: Gunshots were reported inside the Senate complex during a standoff between the Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms (OSAA) and the NBI on Wednesday, May 13. 

Malacañang said the first warning shot was fired by Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Mao Aplasca. Matibag said a man identified as Mel Oragon — whom he described as a volunteer driver assisting NBI personnel, not a bureau employee — fired in response. 

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. later said in a video statement that state forces were not responsible for the shooting and that he had ordered NBI personnel to leave the area at around 4 p.m., several hours before the incident.

The standoff stemmed from Senator Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa’s earlier claims that the NBI is allegedly blocking him from entering the plenary hall and trying to serve him the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over alleged crimes against humanity. 

Matibag said that their agents were not deployed to arrest Dela Rosa and denied that it was their personnel who fired the initial shots, further clarifying that they were not inside the Senate premises. He explained that four to six NBI personnel were positioned at the nearby Government Service Insurance System building after GSIS general manager Wick Veloso requested help to secure the area during the disturbance (READ: Senate standoff: 2 sides tell different stories).

Ongoing investigation: Authorities said that they are still conducting parallel investigations into the Senate shooting, with the NBI driver linked to the incident testing positive for gunpowder nitrates. Aplasca has been put on preventive suspension for six months. 

Separately, nine NBI personnel were cited in contempt over an alleged attempt to serve the ICC warrant on Dela Rosa last May 11, but the incident did not affect Matibag’s post as director.

The DOJ said it will create a special panel of prosecutors with subpoena powers, and asked the media to submit video footage for the probe. – Cyril Bocar/Rappler.com

Efren Cyril Bocar is a journalist from Llorente, Eastern Samar who graduated with a degree in English Language Studies at the Visayas State University. Cyril is also a graduate of the Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship of Rappler for 2024. 

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