THE legal counsels for Vice President Sara Duterte and former representative Arnolfo Teves Jr. dismissed claims by alleged bagman Ramil Madriaga that Teves wanted him dead inside prison, calling the allegations “comical” and “poppycock.”
During House impeachment hearings Wednesday, Akbayan Party-list Rep. Jose Manuel Diokno raised a motion to place Madriaga under the House’s protective custody, claiming he was “being dragged to a cell that was built by Teves.”
In a statement, Salvador Paolo Panelo Jr., Duterte’s counsel for the perjury case she filed against Madriaga, said Madriaga’s counsel, Raymund Palad, previously claimed the vice president visited Madriaga to persuade him not to testify.
“That story was quickly debunked by (Interior) Secretary Jonvic Remulla, who confirmed that VP Sara visited Teves, not Madriaga. Since his lie was exposed, Madriaga has conveniently shifted his narrative to insinuate that VP Sara, through Teves, is behind the alleged threat to his life,” Panelo said.
Panelo stressed that the falsehood is “on brand” for someone who has lied about his association with the vice president and his own background.
“The House Justice Committee’s blind acceptance of this ridiculous and unsubstantiated narrative from a ‘polluted source’ only confirms the committee’s willingness to entertain fabrications in pursuit of a politically motivated agenda,” Panelo added.
In a separate statement, Teves’ counsel, Ferdinand Topacio, said the move was expected from Diokno.
“I suggest he stick to what he does best: represent non-clients in non-cases using non sequitur. Because all he spews out is nonsense,” Topacio added.
Duterte has denied knowing Madriaga, which led to the filing of perjury charges against him earlier this month.
In an earlier interview with The Manila Times, Panelo said they want Madriaga to remain alive, as he is the only one who can admit that the allegations against Duterte are false.
“He is the only one who can tell who his handlers are, and if he will stand by his testimony, he can add further to his allegations against VP Sara,” Panelo said.
He further stated that if Madriaga’s testimony had not been used in the impeachment trial, Duterte would not have filed perjury charges against the self-confessed security consultant.
“But because this is used to deceive the public and subvert the will of the people, then he should be made liable,” Panelo said.