Government agents were confronted by protesters outside the Philippine Senate when they tried to arrest former president Rodrigo Duterte's chief drug war enforcer, but visuals shared online do not show the director of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) drawing a gun during the tense encounter on May 12, 2026, contrary to online claims. AFP journalists who covered the standoff said no firearm was pulled out, and a review of footage taken from different angles show the NBI director was holding a mobile phone, not a gun.
"NBI director Matibag, about to draw a gun to shoot at Filipinos. Is this how a public officer should behave? You should be ashamed, NBI Matibag," says a Tagalog-language Facebook post shared on May 12, 2026.
Attached to the post are several images appearing to show National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) chief Melvin Matibag butting heads with another person.
A Facebook video shared on the same day appears to show the same confrontation.
In the clip, people can be heard swearing at the NBI chief. At the 1:13 mark, a protester suddenly screams: "What? You're going to shoot us? Go ahead!"
The visuals were also shared elsewhere on Facebook after a standoff outside the Philippine Senate building, which saw a group of around 50 protesters scream "NBI go home!" to officers who had come to arrest Senator Ronald Dela Rosa.
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