Vice President Sara Duterte filed a perjury case on Wednesday, March 4, against one of the witnesses in her impeachment complaint, Ramil Madriaga, whom she accused of fabricating stories to mislead the public.
Accompanied by lawyer Salvador Paolo Panelo Jr., Duterte lodged the complaint at the Office of the City Prosecutor of Taguig against Madriaga, who claimed to be her former aide and alleged that he had delivered large sums of money to various individuals under her instruction.
“Hindi maaaring hayaang gamitin ang mga imbentong kuwento upang linlangin ang publiko,” the Vice President said in a statement.
Duterte cited how the International Criminal Court (ICC) allegedly relied on fabricated testimonies presented by former Senator Sonny Trillanes, including those of Arturo Lascañas and Edgar Matobato.
“Kung noon pa lamang ay kinuwestiyon at kinasuhan ang mga kasinungalingang ito, hindi sana nagamit sa ICC ang mga ito laban sa dating pangulo,” she said.
The Vice President claimed that the House of Representatives is repeating the same “tactic” of presenting questionable witnesses.
“Si Madriaga ay isang akusado sa kasong kidnapping na nagpanggap na campaign supporter at mula roon ay biglang lumitaw bilang testigo kuno sa impeachment laban sa akin,” she said.
“Dahil dito, ngayong araw ay naghain ako ng kasong perjury laban kay Ramil Madriaga upang tuluyang mapanagot siya sa kanyang mga kasinungalingan,” she added. (Joseph Pedrajas)
