Make agency stronger, Marcos tells new NBI chiefAtty. Melvin Matibag takes his oath before Executive Secretary Ralph Recto as the new director of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) at Malacañang on February 20, 2026. Photos courtesy of the Office of the Executive SecretaryMANILA, Philippines — President Marcos directed newly appointed National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) director Melvin Matibag to make the agency a stronger instrument of stopping crime, attaining justice, securing peace and guarding the national interest. Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said he conveyed the President’s directive to Matibag, who formally assumed the post on Friday. He was also the secretary-general of PDP-Laban, the political party of Duterte, whose family is now at odds with the Marcos administration.

Source: Philippine Star February 21, 2026 22:01 UTC