VP Sara Duterte camp not concerned with Madriaga House testimony on Tuesday

The camp of Vice President Sara Duterte on Sunday said they are not concerned that Ramil Madriaga, a confessed bagman of the Vice President, will testify against her in her impeachment hearing at the House of Representatives.

“As counsel for VP Sara in the specific perjury complaint versus Madriaga, we don't mind because we know that whatever he says are lies. And then in the proper forum, which is looking like the Senate, we can definitively prove that he's a fraud. So we don't have concerns that he's testifying,” Atty. Salvador Paolo Panelo Jr., Duterte’s legal counsel, told reporters.

“The only concern really is that baka may maniwala because I'm sure it's going to be amplified. Puro kalaban ni VP Sara yung nasa House Justice Committee,” he added.

(The only concern we have is that some people might believe it, especially since I’m sure it’s going to be amplified. Everyone in the House Justice Committee is against VP Sara.)

Panelo also said Duterte’s camp would not stop Madriaga from testifying since they believed that he is the “weakest link” in the impeachment case.

The lawyer explained that Duterte’s complaint affidavit and evidence have been presented to the House justice committee.

“And yet when they (House) talk about Ramil Madriaga, they talk about him like he's the smoking gun, he's the missing link to all of this, when really we think he's the weakest link. As counsel for the perjury case, we're not going to stop them from self-destructing their case by inviting Madriaga to testify,” Panelo said.

“That will only expose this entire process (impeachment) as a political process that has nothing to do with evidence and accountability,” he added.

In response, Atty. Raymund Palad, Madriaga’s legal counsel, assured that his client will attend the House impeachment hearing on Tuesday.

“Mr. Madriaga is prepared to testify under oath and subject himself to full scrutiny. He welcomes the opportunity to present his account in the proper forum, where credibility is determined by evidence—not press briefings,” Palad said in a statement.

He also rejected Panelo's statement, saying that it is an “attempt to discredit a witness in advance and shape public perception ahead of the facts.”

“We strongly reject Atty. Salvador Panelo Jr.’s attempt to label my client as the ‘weakest link even before he has testified,” Palad said.

“Let us be clear: Mr. Madriaga is prepared to testify under oath and subject himself to full scrutiny. He welcomes the opportunity to present his account in the proper forum, where credibility is determined by evidence—not press briefings,” he added.

Palad added, “We also categorically clarify that we have never accused Vice President Sara Duterte of being behind any alleged threats. That narrative did not come from our side and should not be used to deflect from the real issues."

He assured that his client will appear before the hearing to address the allegations.

Meanwhile, Bicol Saro Partylist Rep. Terry Ridon urged Duterte to attend Tuesday’s impeachment hearing to refute Madriaga’s claims and defend herself against the allegations against her. 

“Yung panawagan natin sa ating Pangalawang Pangulo. Bukas ang House impeachment hearings sa ating Vice President. Meron siyang karapatan na maglahad na kanya pong ebidensya sa araw na yun at sa susunod mga pagdinig,” Ridon said. 

(We urgd the Vice President to attend Tuesday’s impeachment hearing. It is open to her. She has the right to present her evidence on the day and the following hearings.) 

“Tingin ko walang dahilan para matakot, walang dahilan para hindi po maglatag ng ebidensya laban kay Ginoong Madriaga sa araw na yun,” he added. 

(I believe there is no reason to be afraid, no reason not to present evidence against Madriaga on that day.)

In a court order released on Wednesday, the Manila Regional Trial Court allowed Madriaga to attend Duterte’s impeachment hearing before the House Committee on Justice, which is scheduled on Tuesday, April 14.

"Acting on the letter dated March 31, 2026 by Hon. Atty. Gerville 'Jinky Bitrics' R. Luistro, Chairperson, Committee on Justice and Hon. Faustino 'Bojie' G. Dy III, Speaker of the House of Representatives, requesting the Court to allow PDL (person deprived of liberty) Ramil Lagunoy Madriaga to appear before the Committee on Justice in relation to the hearing on determination of probable cause In the Matter of the Verified Complaints for Impeachment Against Vice President Sara Duterte, the same is granted," the court order read.

"Accordingly, accused Ramil Lagunoy Madriaga is hereby allowed to appear before the Committee on Justice located at the 2nd Floor of the People's Center, House of Representatives, Batasang Pambansa Complex, Constitution Hills, Quezon city on April 14, 2026 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with proper jail escorts," it added.

In early March, Duterte filed a perjury complaint against Madriaga before the Taguig City Prosecutor’s Office.

She claims Madriaga is an accused in a kidnapping case and is only pretending to be her campaign supporter.

Panelo explained the perjury case was “never meant to stop him (Madriaga) from testifying in the impeachment.”

“'Di naman makakapagpigil ang perjury complaint sa isang testigo na mag-testify sa impeachment. So the objective was to make him accountable,” Panelo said, adding that Madriaga’s testimonies could strengthen the perjury case against him. 

(A perjury complaint cannot prevent a witness from testifying in an impeachment case. So the objective was to hold him accountable.)

Safety concerns 

Panelo reiterated the Duterte camp has nothing to do with Madriaga's safety threats, pointing out their eagerness for him to testify as they consider him their “star witness.”

“We have nothing to do with those safety threats. And considering na we (that) feel that he's the weakest link, in a way, you could say that he's our star witness. So we don't want anything bad to happen to him,” Panelo said.

“We want him to testify. We want him to trip on himself, on his lies for the world to see. So wala. It doesn't make sense for us to want him to be hurt or to prevent him from testifying,” he added.

The lawyer also alleged that if Madriaga’s safety were to be compromised, it might be due to his handlers.

“Kasi (Because) we feel that if he testifies, he's going to reveal himself as a fraud, and eventually he might start pointing fingers kung sino ba yung nagtulak sa kanyang mag-testify (who ordered him to testify),” Panelo said. 

“We have no idea. We have our suspects. Of course, since this impeachment is driven by the Vice President's political enemies, any of them,” he added.

The lawyer had alleged that Madriaga’s accusations against Duterte may have been influenced by former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, after the suspected bagman said that drug dealers and Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators were funding the “Inday Sara Duterte Is My President (ISIP) Pilipinas” campaign.

“So we feel that he's involved in this in some way, but as far as direct evidence, wala pa. This is just a fair commentary based on the affidavit of Madriaga,” Panelo said in the virtual presser.

In January, Trillanes said he met and talked with Madriaga before filing plunder, malversation, and graft complaints against the Vice President.

Trillanes said that 23 counts of alleged anomalies attributed to the Vice President were cited in the complaint, including the allegations of Madriaga, who has claimed to be Duterte’s former aide.  —RF, GMA News