‘Wrong guy’: Matibag denies owning multimillion-dollar US mansion
MANILA, Philippines — National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag on Tuesday denied allegations that he and his wife own a multimillion-dollar mansion in the United States, saying political operatives had “picked the wrong guy.”
Speaking at a press conference, Matibag was asked about a report aired last week by a news organization alleging that he owns a multimillion-dollar mansion in the US.
Matibag dismissed the report as “fake news” and “very malicious.”
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He said their own verification showed that the mansion cited in the report is owned by another man who merely shares his name.
“It so happened that the owner’s real name is Melvin Matibag, but his name is Melvin Behosano Matibag, who is married to Anna Marie Laman,” Matibag said.
He noted that his wife’s name was Maria Rene Ann Lourdes Matibag—the incumbent congresswoman of the first district of Laguna—and not “Anna Marie.”
The NBI director also pointed out that the report claimed the mansion was acquired in 2004, adding, “My wife and I didn’t even know each other in 2004.”
He emphasized that all of their properties are declared in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN), adding that it does not list any property outside the Philippines.
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“We don’t have any properties abroad. Our properties are all declared on my SALN. And you can get the copy of my SALN. It’s there. It’s all there,” Matibag said.
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“In fairness to the owner as well, just imagine if someone with bad intentions believed that property really belonged to us, went to the house, and vandalized it. I would feel sorry for that person too,” he also said.
**Impeaching credibility **
According to the NBI director, he believes the allegation against him is connected to his testimony during Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial last week.
“Prior to my testimony, fake news against me has been ramping up. A lot of it has been released about me. Even illegally acquired recordings, they released them to impeach my testimony, to impeach me as a witness,” Matibag pointed out.
“And you’ve seen my testimony for two days, the defense tried to impeach me, to confuse me, to do everything,” he added.
Matibag also said that he coordinated with the news company that aired the information.
He said that even though the news company aired a follow-up report to correct the issue, “it is not enough” and that “the damage that was created was too much.”
Matibag said he is considering filing charges over the matter.
On July 20 and 21, Matibag testified as a witness in Duterte’s impeachment trial, particularly on her alleged threats against President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez../dl