Manila, Philippines — The Taguig City Office of the City Prosecutor has dismissed the perjury complaint filed by Vice President Sara Duterte against Ramil Madriaga, who had identified himself as her alleged former bagman.
In a resolution signed on September 2, the prosecutor said Duterte’s camp failed to establish prima facie evidence with reasonable certainty of conviction to prove that Madriaga was guilty of perjury, or of making false statements under oath.
In an official statement on Friday, Atty. Paolo Panelo, Duterte’s counsel, confirmed that the Vice President’s camp had received a copy of the resolution, while condemning the prosecution’s decision.
Panelo argued that if the prosecutor had genuinely weighed the evidence, the outcome and decision would not be like this.
He described the decision as clear political maneuvering.
“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,” Atty. Paolo Panelo said.
More than 300 pages of Duterte’s sworn statement and the testimonies of seven corroborating witnesses were among the evidence submitted by her camp in the first perjury case. These were in addition to official documents, government certifications, and contemporaneous records.
For the second perjury case, their camp submitted 750 pages of evidence, along with additional corroborating testimonies, to prove that Madriaga had lied in his statements and allegations against the Vice President.
Panelo therefore maintained that it was not credible to characterize the complaint as merely presenting “competing factual narratives.”
“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,” Panelo said.
Despite the ruling, Panelo assured that the Vice President would not be intimidated and would continue to appeal the dismissal.
Her camp will also proceed with the second perjury complaint.