MANILA — Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio will appeal the dismissal of her perjury complaint against self-proclaimed former aide Ramil Madriaga, accusing prosecutors of ignoring hundreds of pages of evidence in what her lawyers branded a politically motivated decision.
Duterte-Carpio’s lawyer and spokesperson Salvador Paolo Panelo Jr. said the Vice President’s legal team received the September 2, 2026 resolution of the Office of the City Prosecutor of Taguig dismissing the complaint for “lack of prima facie evidence with reasonable certainty of conviction.”
Panelo disputed the finding, arguing that prosecutors failed to properly weigh the evidence presented by Duterte-Carpio’s camp against Madriaga.
“A prosecutor who truly weighed the evidence would not have reached this result. It can therefore only be a political decision,” Panelo said. “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.”
According to Duterte-Carpio’s lawyers, the dismissed complaint consisted of more than 300 pages containing the Vice President’s sworn statement, testimonies from seven witnesses, government records and other documents made at the time of the events in question.
A separate perjury complaint consisting of about 750 pages and backed by five additional witnesses remains under consideration.
Duterte-Carpio’s camp said Madriaga’s testimony carried political significance because his allegations had been cited in impeachment complaints filed against the Vice President.
“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,” the statement added.
Madriaga had previously alleged under oath that campaign and confidential funds were being handled through illicit channels. Duterte-Carpio’s camp has repeatedly denied the allegations and branded them fabricated.
Panelo said the Vice President would exhaust available legal remedies by appealing the prosecutor’s decision while continuing to pursue the second perjury complaint.
Meanwhile, Duterte-Carpio personally appeared before a Quezon City court on Friday for proceedings in her separate grave threats case, but her scheduled arraignment was postponed.
Her lawyer Paul Lawrence Lim said the court was still considering a pending motion that affected the proceedings.
“Hindi lang natuloy yung arraignment. Mayroong mosyon na pinag-aaralan pa yung ating kagalang-galang na hukom,” Lim said.
“At habang hindi pa ito napagpapasyahan, deferred muna o suspended yung arraignment ng ating Bise Presidente,” he said.
Lim declined to disclose details of the motion but said Duterte-Carpio’s pending petition before the Supreme Court seeking a temporary restraining order against the case was among the factors considered in deferring the arraignment.
Duterte-Carpio was accompanied by her brother, Davao City First District Rep. Paolo Duterte. Supporters gathered outside the courthouse, chanting her name and carrying banners calling for her protection.
The Vice President had earlier posted P360,000 bail in connection with the grave threats case and said she “does not feel safe,” while raising concerns over alleged harassment involving her family.
The criminal complaint stemmed from Duterte-Carpio’s remarks during an online briefing in 2024, when she said she had arranged for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and then House Speaker Martin Romualdez to be killed if she were assassinated first.
Duterte-Carpio has maintained that her remarks were taken out of context.
The alleged threat has also figured in the impeachment proceedings against her before the Senate. A conviction in the impeachment case could result in her removal from office and permanent disqualification from holding public office./PN
