Vice President Sara Duterte’s legal counsel dismissed witness and convict Ramil Madriaga’s testimony against his client as an unreliable narrative, citing his criminal background and discrepancies in his account.

In an interview on Balansyado, Atty. Paolo Panelo emphasized that Madriaga’s word as a criminal who has been incarcerated twice over kidnapping for ransom, stands against Duterte’s, who has had no charges related to corruption or any other offense, prior to this alleged defamation against her.

“Dahil nga wala siyang ebidensya, kailangan mong suriin ngayon ‘yung credibility ng tao. Kasi ang mangyayari diyan, it’s his word against VP Sara’s word. So sino ba ang nagtutunggali dito?” Panelo said.

“Isang Ramil Madriaga na currently nga, nakakulong for kidnapping for ransom—tapos hindi pa niya unang pagkakulong ‘yan. Pangalawa na ‘yan, 1997 naaresto na ‘yan for kidnapping for ransom din na-acquit lang siya noong 2003 ng Supreme Court, pero based on reasonable doubt. Pero itong 2023, nadakip siya ng pulis, tapos ‘yung Anti-Kidnapping Group mismo ng PNP (Philippine National Police) ang nagsabi na Top 5 most wanted siya sa buong Pilipinas,” he recalled, claiming the Madriaga Criminal Syndicate Group has been described as “one of the most dangerous criminal syndicates in recent history.”

He added that among Vice President Duterte’s supporters are two former Presidential Security Group (PSG) commanders, a former Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group (VPSPG) commander, a Lieutenant Colonel from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and former Acting Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) Chairman Atty. Reynold Munsayac.

Panelo said that it would reflect poorly on the House Justice Committee’s judgement if they were to entertain Madriaga’s account.

“Pagka ginamit siya dito sa impeachment proceedings ang pinapakita nito is itong House Justice Committee, willing silang mag-entertain ng ganitong klaseng testigo: na hindi credible, na gawa-gawa lang ang testimonya, para lang iusad itong political agenda nila laban kay VP Sara,” said the lawyer.

Moreover, he said that former Senator Antonio Trillanes and Senator Leila de Lima allegedly admitted to meeting Madriaga in prison before his affidavit against Duterte came out.

“I think na-mention nila sa interviews that they tried to vet itong testimony nitong Ramil Madriaga,” Panelo shared.

He felt this indicates that the two either did not carefully examine Madriaga’s testimony or that they are complicit in tarnishing the vice president’s name. Panelo conducted a background check on Madriaga to verify his claims of having been a former PSG member and a friend of Duterte’s, and found it inconsistent with his actual history.

Furthermore, Panelo explained that no ordinary civilian could have executed the job Madriaga has claimed to have done, so Duterte’s legal team requested certifications from various agencies such as the Department of Education (DepEd), the Office of the Vice President (OVP), the Davao City Mayor’s Office, and the VPSPG—who all denied having Madriaga as an employee.

According to the former PSG commanders and former VPSPG commander, a criminal like Madriaga would never have passed their screening and gotten personally close to Duterte, much less worked for her, Panelo said.

He clarified that Duterte’s camp is not interested in harming Madriaga, despite the latter’s claims of having his life threatened, as they are confident his testimony will prove faulty.

For instance, Panelo recounted that Madriaga claimed he was visited by Duterte, who threatened him to keep him from testifying. However, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla countered this, saying that, upon checking with the jail warden, the vice president had visited former Congressman Arnie Teves.

Madriaga then changed his story, alleging that it was Teves who threatened his life. Panelo said this scenario still suggested that Duterte was behind the reported threats made against Madriaga.

“Sinasabi na namin, ngayon palang, na imposible ito, gusto namin siyang lumantad. At kung may mangyayari sa kanya, dapat mag-ingat siya doon sa mga taong nasa likod nitong affidavit niya,” he warned.

According to an affidavit dated March 3, Madriaga claimed another detainee attempted to drag him into a storeroom within the jail, which he heard was built by Teves himself and that the former lawmaker wanted him dead.