MANILA — The legal team of Vice President Sara Duterte on Friday condemned the dismissal of her first perjury complaint against her self-proclaimed former aide, Ramil Madriaga, describing the prosecutors’ resolution as a politically motivated decision intended to protect perjured testimony.
In an official statement, Duterte’s legal counsel and spokesperson Salvador Paolo Panelo Jr. confirmed receipt of the September 2, 2026 resolution from the Office of the City Prosecutor of Taguig (OCP Taguig).
The OCP Taguig dismissed the Vice President's complaint due to an alleged “lack of prima facie evidence with reasonable certainty of conviction.”
Panelo strongly disputed the resolution, asserting that the prosecutor disregarded a massive body of evidence to shield Madriaga's claims, which have formed part of the ongoing political disputes against the Vice President.
“A prosecutor who truly weighed the evidence would not have reached this result. It can therefore only be a political decision,” Panelo said. "If a complaint of that strength can be discarded, then the message is simple: a man may brazenly lie under oath against the Vice President, and this administration will protect the lie if it is politically useful."
According to the Vice President's camp, the initial perjury complaint spanned over 300 pages, comprising Duterte’s sworn testimony, statements from seven corroborating witnesses, official documents, and contemporaneous records. A second perjury complaint—comprising 750 pages with five additional corroborating testimonies—remains pending.
Duterte's camp alleged that the dismissal was aimed at preserving Madriaga’s standing, as his testimony served as a key basis in the impeachment complaints filed against the Vice President.
“The dismissal therefore says less about Madriaga’s credibility than about the willingness of those in power to ignore law and evidence when convenient, and to weaponize both against dissenting voices,” the statement added.
Despite the setback, Panelo said the Vice President would not back down and intends to appeal the decision through all available legal channels while continuing to pursue the second perjury charge against Madriaga.
Madriaga previously made allegations under oath claiming that campaign funds and confidential funds were handled through illicit channels, assertions that Duterte’s camp has repeatedly denied as fabrication.
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