TAGUIG CITY — In a significant legal setback for the Vice President, the Office of the City Prosecutor in Taguig has officially dismissed the perjury complaint filed by Vice President Sara Duterte against Ramil Madriaga, a self-confessed “bagman” who had previously implicated her in alleged irregularities.
In a resolution released Thursday, prosecutors ruled that the complaint lacked prima facie evidence to substantiate the charge of perjury. The dismissal effectively clears Madriaga of the allegations that he had made false statements under oath, a claim that Duterte had lodged as part of her broader effort to discredit the testimony provided by the former staffer.
The case stemmed from explosive testimonies given by Madriaga during recent congressional inquiries, where he detailed an elaborate network involving the alleged distribution of public funds to various political figures. Duterte, who has consistently denied any wrongdoing, filed the perjury complaint shortly after Madriaga’s public statements, asserting that his claims were malicious fabrications intended to damage her reputation.
However, the Taguig prosecutor’s office found that the Vice President’s camp failed to establish the essential elements required to proceed with a perjury trial. According to the resolution, the evidence submitted by the prosecution was insufficient to prove that Madriaga had willfully and deliberately asserted a falsehood under oath. The findings suggest that the statements made by Madriaga, while controversial, do not meet the legal threshold for criminal prosecution in this context.
“The complainant failed to prove that the respondent made a willful and corrupt assertion of a falsehood,” the resolution stated. It further noted that the conflicting testimonies between the two parties were matters that would be better addressed in other legal forums or investigative bodies rather than through a criminal charge of perjury.
The dismissal is a major development in the ongoing political friction between the Vice President and the legislative committees probing her office’s utilization of confidential and intelligence funds. For Madriaga, the decision serves as a pivotal validation of his whistleblower status, strengthening his position as a key witness in the broader investigations currently gripping the political landscape.
As of press time, the Office of the Vice President has yet to issue a formal statement regarding the prosecutor’s decision. Legal analysts suggest that Duterte’s camp may choose to file a motion for reconsideration or escalate the matter to the Department of Justice to challenge the findings.
The ruling comes at a time of heightened scrutiny for the Duterte administration, as lawmakers continue to weigh the testimonies provided by Madriaga and other whistleblowers regarding the alleged misuse of government resources. With this complaint now shelved, legal observers expect the focus of the investigations to return to the core allegations of financial mismanagement, rather than the secondary legal battles over witness credibility.
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