MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte will challenge the dismissal of her first perjury complaint against her alleged bagman, Ramil Madriaga, with her legal team questioning the political environment surrounding the ruling and pointing to the Department of Justice’s supervision over the Taguig City Prosecutor’s Office.
The Office of the City Prosecutor of Taguig dismissed Duterte’s first perjury complaint against Madriaga in a Sept. 2, 2026 resolution for lack of prima facie evidence with reasonable certainty of conviction, Duterte’s legal counsel and spokesman Salvador Paolo Panelo Jr. said Friday.
Panelo said the Duterte camp had anticipated the possibility of a political decision because the complaint was filed with the OCP Taguig, which is under the DOJ headed by the Justice Secretary, a member of the President’s Cabinet.
“We understood the political realities from the outset, and publicly warned of this possibility,” Panelo said.
The National Prosecution Service, which includes city prosecution offices such as Taguig, handles preliminary investigations and prosecutions under the supervision of the Justice Secretary pursuant to Republic Act 10071.
Panelo said the first complaint consisted of more than 300 pages, including Duterte’s sworn testimony, seven corroborating witnesses, official documents, government certifications and contemporaneous records.
“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,” Panelo said.
He said Duterte would exhaust all available legal remedies against the dismissal and pursue her pending second perjury complaint against Madriaga, which runs to 750 pages and includes five additional corroborating testimonies and further official records and documents.
