The camp of Vice President Sara Duterte on Friday rejected new allegations by detained former military agent Ramil Madriaga, calling them “comical” and baseless, including claims linking former Negros Oriental congressman Arnie Teves to an alleged threat.
In a statement, Duterte’s legal counsel Paolo Panelo described the accusation as an “obvious falsehood,” saying it follows what he called a pattern of misrepresentations about Madriaga’s supposed ties to the vice president.
Madriaga has been subpoenaed as a witness in the impeachment hearings against the Vice President at the House of Representatives, which continued Friday.
“Let us recall that Madriaga, through his counsel, previously claimed that Vice President Sara Duterte visited him in jail to persuade him not to testify. That story was quickly debunked by DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla, who confirmed that VP Sara visited Teves, not Madriaga,” Panelo said.
“Since his lie was exposed, Madriaga has conveniently shifted his narrative to insinuate that VP Sara, through Teves, is behind the alleged threat to his life,” he added.
The statement came after Akbayan Rep. Chel Diokno called for increased security for Madriaga, citing a new affidavit in which he claimed he was nearly dragged into a cell allegedly built by Teves.
Teves, who is detained at the same facility, has been implicated in the 2023 assassination of then-Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo.
Panelo also criticized the House Committee on Justice for giving weight to what he described as “unsubstantiated” claims.
“The House Justice Committee’s blind acceptance of this ridiculous and unsubstantiated narrative from a ‘polluted source’ only confirms the Committee’s willingness to entertain fabrications in pursuit of a politically motivated agenda,” he said.
In December, Remulla said prison records showed Duterte visited Teves at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City.
Earlier this month, Duterte filed a perjury complaint against Madriaga, accusing him of falsely presenting himself as a campaign supporter before later emerging as a witness in the impeachment case against her.
In a sworn affidavit last December, Madriaga alleged he transported cash for Duterte, claiming he delivered duffel bags and vehicles filled with money to various locations on instructions allegedly linked to the vice president’s camp.
Duterte has repeatedly denied the allegations and said she has no personal ties to Madriaga.
