The Matinik Refusal: Paper Ghosts, Formal Rigor, and the Curatorial Hygiene of the Unsworn in the Philippine Impeachment Theater
The Matinik Refusal: Paper Ghosts, Formal Rigor, and the Curatorial Hygiene of the Unsworn in the Philippine Impeachment Theater Amiel Gerald A. Roldan™ August 30, 2026 I. Curatorial Frame In the humid, fluorescent glare of the Senate sitting as impeachment court in mid-2026, a peculiar kind of performance unfolded—one that any art practitioner or cultural worker trained in the gatekeeping of meaning would recognize as a failed mise-en-scène. National Bureau of Investigation Director Melvin Matibag, cast by the prosecution as a key witness on the article charging Vice President Sara Duterte with betrayal of public trust and grave threats, was invited to lend institutional weight to portions of an affidavit attributed to Arturo Lascañas. The document, by the defense’s insistent accounting, remained unsigned and unnotarized. Atty. Sheila Sison, lead counsel for the respondent and partner at Fortun Narvasa & Salazar, rose with the quiet, almost ceremoni...