Vice President Sara Duterte has dismissed the claims of detained witness Ramil Madriaga as “willful and deliberate falsehoods,” filing a reply-affidavit in her perjury complaint to counter his testimony.
The affidavit, submitted on May 4 through her counsel Salvador Paolo Panelo Jr. before the Taguig City Prosecutor’s Office, directly challenges Madriaga’s counter-affidavit filed last April.
“Madriaga failed to refute the evidence we presented proving that his statements are not true,” Panelo said after the filing.
Duterte categorically denied knowing Madriaga “personally or professionally,” rejecting his assertions of ties to her political operations. She stressed that he was never introduced to her by former president Rodrigo Duterte and had no affiliation with the Office of the Vice President or the Department of Education.
She accused Madriaga of fabricating stories under oath, including claims of assignments with the Presidential Security Group (PSG). Her legal team presented certifications from multiple government agencies confirming he was never employed by the OVP, PSG, DepEd, or any other office.
Duterte also refuted Madriaga’s claim of attending a supposed “insider” political meeting, saying he twisted an ordinary Zoom call with campaign supporters into proof of insider status. “Madriaga’s desperate attempt to twist an ordinary Zoom call… exposes him anew as the fraud that he is,” she said.
Panelo added that the meeting was a large, open pre-campaign gathering during the pandemic, not an exclusive strategy session.
Madriaga’s allegations of illegal campaign financing from drug syndicates and POGOs were likewise rejected. “I did not instruct him to form ISIP Pilipinas. I did not fund its operations,” Duterte said.
Her camp argued that public records, business owners, and official certifications already contradicted Madriaga’s claims of cash deliveries and bank transactions.
Duterte’s legal team said the reply-affidavit reinforces their position, noting that Madriaga’s own submissions have further undermined his credibility. (Merlina Hernando-Malipot)
