Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday formally lodged a perjury complaint against her alleged former aide, Ramil Madriaga, before the Office of the City Prosecutor of Taguig, challenging what she described as false and malicious claims in his sworn affidavit.
Duterte alleged that Madriaga is being used in the same manner as witnesses in the case before the International Criminal Court against former President Rodrigo Duterte, calling it a repeated tactic intended to discredit and undermine her.
The Vice President arrived at the prosecutor’s office early Wednesday, accompanied by supporting witnesses and her lawyer, Atty. S. Paolo Panelo Jr., to personally submit the complaint.
The case stemmed from an affidavit Madriaga filed with the Office of the Ombudsman, in which he claimed that he delivered substantial amounts of money to various individuals upon Duterte’s instructions—an allegation the Vice President firmly denied.
In a statement, Duterte said the ICC case against the former president relied on testimonies from witnesses linked to former senator Antonio Trillanes, including Arturo Lascañas and Edgar Matobato, whom she described as having provided bought or fabricated accounts.
She added that the House of Representatives appears to be employing a similar strategy by presenting Madriaga as a witness in the impeachment complaints against her.
Duterte also noted that Madriaga, who is facing kidnapping charges, had previously posed as a campaign supporter before surfacing as a witness in her impeachment case, prompting her to pursue legal action.
“We cannot allow fabricated stories to deceive the public,” Duterte said.
Madriaga’s affidavit has been attached to the impeachment complaints filed against the Vice President, which are currently under review by the House committee on justice to determine their sufficiency in substance amid ongoing impeachment proceedings.