Duterte files new perjury complaint against Madriaga; House Prosecution says it won’t affect witness decision

Abi Sarabia M., Philippine Canadian Inquirer
August 18, 2026

Photo courtesy: Philippine News Agency

MANILA — Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday, August 17, filed a new perjury complaint against her alleged former aide, Ramil Madriaga, before the Taguig City Prosecutor’s Office, escalating a months-long dispute over allegations that she ordered him to deliver large sums of money to unnamed individuals.

Duterte filed the complaint in person, accompanied by her legal counsel, Atty. Paolo Panelo.

According to Panelo, the complaint runs to roughly 1,000 pages and includes Duterte’s own sworn testimony, statements from twelve corroborating witnesses, government and other official documents and certifications, and supporting messages, photographs, and public records. He said the filing “thoroughly exposes Madriaga’s malicious and deliberate falsehoods.”

Panelo argued the extensive filing was “technically unnecessary given the absurd and unverifiable nature of Madriaga’s claims,” which he said had already “collapsed under the slightest scrutiny.” 

He said it was pursued nonetheless “to ensure that Madriaga is held accountable under the law, and to unmask the malicious, baseless, and desperate character of the impeachment effort against the Vice President and of those behind it.”

Monday’s filing is the second such complaint against Madriaga. Duterte first filed a perjury complaint against him on March 4, 2026, after he submitted an affidavit to the Office of the Ombudsman alleging that he had delivered large sums of money to various individuals on Duterte’s instructions. Duterte has consistently denied the allegation.

Madriaga is included in the House prosecution team’s list of proposed witnesses for the article on confidential funds misuse, misappropriation, and irregular liquidation in Duterte’s ongoing 

Senate impeachment trial. He has publicly admitted to acting as a bagman for the Vice President.

Despite the new complaint, the House prosecution team maintains it will not affect their decision on whether to seek Madriaga’s subpoena as a witness. 

Atty. Benjamin Tolosa Jr., legal spokesperson and private prosecutor for the House prosecution team, said that decision will rest on the prosecution’s own assessment of its case.

“So as we’ve stated, the decision to whether or not we will call him will depend on our assessment of whether we’ve hit our targets already, if we think the important factual matters have already been covered by the witnesses that we’ve put on the stand thus far,” Tolosa said.

Atty. Michael Poa, spokesperson for Duterte’s defense counsel in the impeachment trial, said the new complaint would similarly not alter the defense’s strategy in that proceeding. 

“We don’t see any major impact on the impeachment trial,” Poa told reporters, adding that if prosecutors call Madriaga as a witness, “we will still have to… cross-examine in accordance with our plan.”

The impeachment trial against VP Duterte continues at the Senate.