Marilyn Cahatol

Article (news)

Harlene Delgado

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17759712662671775971262785.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Vice President Sara Duterte announces her intention to run for the presidency in the 2028 national elections on Wednesday, February 18, 2026. <em>Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File </em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA (<strong>UPDATED</strong>) — The legal counsel of Vice President Sara Duterte in her perjury complaint against Ramil Madriaga, an alleged kidnapper who claims to have been her former bagman, said they are &quot;not concerned&quot; with his testimony before the House Committee on Justice on Tuesday, April 14.</p><p>Atty. Salvador Panelo Jr. said Duterte&#x27;s lawyers see Madriaga as the &quot;weakest link&quot; in the impeachment complaints against the vice president.</p><p>“As counsel for the perjury case, we’re not gonna stop them from self-destructing their case by inviting Madriaga to testify,” he said in a virtual briefing on Sunday morning, April 12 , just days before Madriaga’s House appearance. </p><p>He said, however, that they are concerned that people might believe Madriaga&#x27;s allegations “because I’m sure it’s going to be amplified.”</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/4/6/madriaga-subpoenaed-to-testify-in-house-impeachment-proceedings-vs-duterte-1824">Madriaga subpoenaed to testify in House impeachment proceedings vs Duterte</a></div><p>Panelo added that the perjury complaint filed against Madriaga “was never meant to stop him from testifying in the impeachment” but to hold him accountable for his claims.</p><p>“Kung magpo-provide siya ng additional details sa House Justice Committee, talagang gagamitin namin ‘yun against him kasi kumpyansa kami na kahit anong sabihin niya, kasinungalingan,” Panelo added. </p><p>Panelo, in the briefing, quoted some contents of Duterte&#x27;s perjury complaint denying Madriaga&#x27;s allegations in his notarized affidavit referred to the Office of the Ombudsman in December 2025, such as tasking him to form then-Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group and that he transported large sums of money to several persons &quot;as instructed by VP Sara.&quot;</p><p>Panelo further claimed that they are not behind the threats on Madriaga&#x27;s life.</p><p>&quot;Wala, we have nothing to do with those safety threats. Considering nga na we feel that he is the weakest link, &#x27;di ba, in a way, you could say that he&#x27;s our star witness,&quot; he said. </p><p>&quot;So, we don&#x27;t want anything bad happen to him, we want him to testify, we want him to trip on himself, on his lies for the world to see,&quot; he added. </p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/4/12/what-to-expect-at-the-april-14-house-impeachment-hearing-0808">What to expect at the April 14 House impeachment hearing</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;WE WILL NOT BE DISTRACTED&#x27;</strong></div><p>Madriaga&#x27;s legal counsel Atty. Raymund Palad, meanwhiled, rejected Panelo&#x27;s remark labelling his client as the &#x27;weakest link&#x27; ahead of his House testimony.</p><p>&quot;This is a clear attempt to discredit a witness in advance and shape public perception ahead of the facts,&quot; he said in a statement Sunday. </p><p>&quot;If they are truly unconcerned, as they claim, then there would be no need for repeated public attacks. Their statements betray the opposite,&quot; he added.</p><p>Palad maintained that Madriaga is &quot;prepared to testify under oath and subject himself to full scrutiny&quot;.</p><p>&quot;He welcomes the opportunity to present his account in the proper forum, where credibility is determined by evidence—not press briefings,&quot; he added.</p><p>He added that they find it &quot;ironic&quot; that Madriaga&#x27;s credibility &quot;is being attacked so aggressively.&quot; </p><p>&quot;We will not be distracted,&quot; he added, maintaining that his client will address all allegations under oath.</p><p>&quot;We challenge those making these claims, including Vice President Sara Duterte, to face Mr. Madriaga in the April 14 proceedings and answer under oath. We are ready,&quot; he said.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;HINDI PRESSCON ANG SAGOT&#x27;</strong></div><p>Bicol Saro Partylist Representative Terry Ridon, a member of the House Justice panel, also pushed back and urged the vice president to address the allegations herself before the committee.</p><p>&quot;Una sa lahat, ba&#x27;t naman kami makikinig kay Paolo Panelo? Kasi hindi naman siya abogado ng Vice President para sa impeachment eh,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;Kung confident po sila na ibasura &#x27;yung testimony ni Mr. Madriaga, hindi po presscon ang sagot dito. Ang sagot po rito, magpunta ang pangalawang pangulo sa April 14 at ilahad po niya yung lahat ng ebidensya laban kay Mr. Madriaga na magpapakita na fraud po siya,&quot; the congressman stated.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div style="text-align:center"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jrGaOsDAkgA?si=KdXsjiGy2nCLVpVD" title="YouTube video player" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>

<p>The legal counsel of Vice President Sara Duterte in her perjury complaint against Ramil Madriaga, who claimed to be her former bagman, said they are "not concerned" with the latter’s upcoming testimony before the House Committee on Justice on Tuesday, April 14.</p>

The legal counsel of Vice President Sara Duterte in her perjury complaint against Ramil Madriaga, who claimed to be her former bagman, said they are "not concerned" with the latter’s upcoming testimony before the House Committee on Justice on Tuesday, April 14.

Sara Duterte lawyer ‘not concerned’ Madriaga will testify at House

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Sudoku

Word of the Day

Lotto

Horoscope

Nation

Sara Duterte lawyer ‘not concerned’ Madriaga will testify at House

Harlene Delgado,

ABS-CBN News

Published April 12, 2026 02:12 PM PHT

|

Updated April 12, 2026 05:55 PM PHT

Read More:

Sara Duterte

Salvador Paolo Panelo Jr.

Ramil Madriaga

perjury

impeachment

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.