Vice President Sara Duterte’s legal counsel, Salvador Paolo Panelo Jr., has dismissed the claims made by Ramil Madriaga regarding a supposed term‑sharing agreement, a planned ouster, and even assassination plots against the President, calling them “pure fiction” that would only “boost” Duterte’s defense.
“This is precisely what I meant when I said that the more Ramil Madriaga speaks, the better it becomes for Vice President Sara Duterte’s defense,” Panelo said, referring to a handwritten letter by Madriaga dated April 11, which allegedly outlined the accusations.
“His allegations of a secret term‑sharing agreement, a planned ouster, and assassination plots against PBBM are pure fiction and not even remotely believable,” he added.
Panelo reiterated that the accusations lack evidence, stressing that no proof has been presented to substantiate the claims.
“If the need arises, we will be happy to refute each delusional claim point by point with evidence — something that has eluded all his allegations, past and present,” the lawyer said.
He also warned that calls for Madriaga to testify may backfire, arguing that such a move would only expose inconsistencies in his statements.
“Making Madriaga testify would just reveal his lack of credibility and expose his lies,” Panelo said, noting that the allegations are already unraveling even before any formal testimony.
“He has now succeeded in doing exactly that even before uttering a single word under oath in the House Justice Committee,” he stressed. (Merlina Hernando‑Malipot)
