MANILA, Philippines — The impeachment court closed the prosecution's case on grave threats Wednesday, July 22, wrapping up the article that accuses Vice President Sara Duterte of betraying public trust in her alleged spoken plot to have the president killed as revenge.

Day nine of the trial saw senator-judges further press National Bureau of Investigation director Melvin Matibag on the bureau's ongoing investigation into the alleged "hitman" Duterte purportedly instructed to kill the president if she herself were killed.

Defense counsel Mark Vinluan finished his cross-examination of Matibag early in the afternoon, and lead prosecutor Rep. Jinky Luistro (Batangas, 2nd District) waived redirect. That left around an hour for the senators to interrogate Matibag further.

Upon closing, court presiding officer Chiz Escudero said the prosecution has used six of its 11 allotted days for Article IV, leaving the trial two days ahead of schedule.

1. NBI says down to fewer than 20 names in hunt for alleged hitman

Upon questioning by senators, Matibag said the bureau is down to fewer than 20 names in its search for the person Duterte allegedly contracted.

After a process of elimination, NBI investigators have begun approaching the families and associates of some of them.

Yesterday, Matibag told the court the bureau has also identified "persons of interest" in the Duterte case.

Asked by Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian to put a number on his chances of identifying the alleged assassin, Matibag placed it at six to seven out of 10, with an identification possible in three to six months. He, however, conceded the search may end with nothing.

Asked whether Duterte's security detail is among them, Matibag said one person from that group is included.

He said the network the bureau is examining is not limited to the Davao Death Squad and includes men in uniform still in active service.

2. Senators see a double standard in NBI's actions

Matibag was asked why the NBI appeared to be moving differently against the vice president and Davao City Mayor Baste Duterte, whose remarks about the president at a public rally they described as nearly identical.

Sen. Ping Lacson noted the bureau referred its complaint against the vice president to the Department of Justice for preliminary investigation, while Baste's remarks remain at the law enforcement level. He said he suspects a double standard.

Matibag replied that the NBI is developing a conspiracy theory of the Baste case, which takes longer to build, and that it treated Baste's remarks as open-source material instead of filing a complaint.

The bureau will consider filing grave threats and inciting to sedition if the elements are established, Matibag said.

Lacson also pointed out it appears it was Baste's words, not the vice president's, that became the trigger point for creating the NBI special task force.

Sen. Raffy Tulfo also asked Matibag further about whether the NBI was treating all complaints equally. He enumerated a number of cases that were filed during the Duterte administration, where a teacher, a construction worker and an unemployed college graduate were all arrested over threats and bounties against former president Rodrigo Duterte.

The NBI wields an "'iron fist" for ordinary citizens, Tulfo said, and "kid gloves" for the powerful.

A hesitant Matibag noted that he could not speak for the NBI's actions prior to his assumption as its chief earlier this year. But he did confirm those arrests were warrantless, which is why the cases were dismissed, and that the NBI now follows case buildup and leaves it to the courts to issue any warrant.

Asked a hypothetical on whether then-vice president Leni Robredo would have been arrested for similar threats against then-President Rodrigo Duterte, Matibag said it was his personal opinion that there was a possibility she would have been.

3. Moments of levity

The trial adjourned earlier than usual Wednesday, but not before packing in a few light moments amid proceedings that have often turned tense from the usual bickering.

During cross, defense counsel Vinluan asked Matibag who authored the affidavit attributed to Arturo Lascañas. The NBI chief answered swiftly: "Asked and answered, your honor."

An amused Escudero reminded the NBI chief to leave the rulings to the bench, but granted the objection anyway, saying Matibag was correct that the question had already been answered.

The trial's timekeeper also got their moment. Tulfo had complained that the bell for the two-minute time limit per senator rings on time for some and not others. Escudero then reminded the bell-ringer to keep to the two-minute time limit for each senator.

During his interpellation, Sen. Bong Go, told his time was up, quipped that the clock should work like those in basketball games where a tie in the last two minutes would lead to an extension of five more minutes.

The impeachment trial resumes Wednesday, July 29, after the State of the Nation Address on Monday and the counter-SONA on Tuesday.

The proceedings will now head to the confidential funds charge, with two former Land Bank officials set to testify.