A lawyer for a self-proclaimed former aide of Vice President Sara Duterte said Wednesday that multiple versions of a disputed painting exist, following a public denial from a Davao-based artist who claimed authorship of the artwork allegedly gifted to the vice president in 2021.

Speaking on DZRH’s Dos Por Dos, lawyer Raymund Palad, counsel for Ramil Madriaga, said the controversy stems from similarities between artworks rather than a single original piece.

Palad said there is a painting “99% similar” to the one being disputed, noting that the difference lies in details such as the hairstyle of the subject. He added that Madriaga had a scholar from Laguna who created a similar piece, and that they have photos to support this.

“Meron talagang isang taga-Laguna na scholar niya [Ramil Madriaga] na nag-drawing ng ganung-ganon [na] painting. We have pictures of that. Hindi lang yung taga-Davao ang may monopoly ng painting na yun,” Palad said in Filipino, disputing claims that the Davao-based artist has sole ownership of the design.

The issue arose after visual artist Tanya Gaisano Lee took to social media to refute Madriaga’s claim that he gifted the painting to Duterte. Lee said the artwork in question is hers, rejecting assertions that she was a scholar or that she is from Laguna.

“Anything stated otherwise is false. I am not a scholar, I am not from Laguna, I am from Davao,” Lee said in her instagram post.

Palad clarified that Madriaga never identified the artist's name. The lawyer further said Madriaga claimed he had two versions of the painting made—one allegedly taken by members of the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group, and another kept at his residence in Laguna.

As of writing, there has been no official statement from Duterte’s camp regarding the conflicting claims over the painting’s origin.