Vice President Sara Duterte has filed a reply-affidavit in her perjury complaint against Ramil Madriaga, asserting that the detained witness failed to refute evidence showing he made “willful and deliberate false statements.”

The reply-affidavit was submitted on Monday, May 4, through her legal counsel, Salvador Paolo Panelo Jr., before the Office of the City Prosecutor in Taguig. It responds to the counter-affidavit filed by Madriaga on April 14.

“Para sa amin, iyong counter-affidavit kasi ni Madriaga, hindi niya nasagot iyong mga ebidensyang nilatag namin doon sa complaint-affidavit ni VP Sara na nagpapatunay na hindi totoo iyong mga sinasabi niya (For us, Madriaga’s counter-affidavit did not address the evidence we presented in VP Sara’s complaint-affidavit, which proves that his claims are not true),” Panelo said after the filing.

In her reply-affidavit, Duterte rejected Madriaga’s assertions that he had ties to her and her political operations.

“I did not know Madriaga personally or professionally,” Duterte said.

She also stressed that Madriaga was never introduced to her by former president Rodrigo Duterte and had no affiliation with the Office of the Vice President (OVP) or the Department of Education (DepEd).

Duterte served as Education Secretary from June 2022 to July 2024.

She further argued that Madriaga “knowingly fabricated stories under oath,” including claims that he was assigned to the Presidential Security Group (PSG) in Malacañang to conduct tactical driving and transport training.

In her reply-affidavit, Duterte stressed there is “proof of falsehoods” contradicting Madriaga’s claim that he worked under the PSG and was formally assigned by the former president.

Her legal team added that certifications from government agencies confirm Madriaga was never employed by the OVP, the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group, the PSG, DepEd, or any other government office.

They said these records—along with sworn testimony from Duterte and seven corroborating witnesses—were already detailed in a 340-page complaint-affidavit establishing that Madriaga’s allegations were “impossible.”

Duterte also disputed Madriaga’s claim that he was part of an “insider” political meeting involving “high-profile figures,” including Senator Jinggoy Estrada and former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque.

“Madriaga’s desperate attempt to twist an ordinary Zoom call with campaign supporters into proof of an ‘insider status’ exposes him anew as the fraud that he is,” Duterte said.

Panelo explained that the virtual meeting cited by Madriaga was not exclusive but a large pre-campaign online gathering in 2022 during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Iyong ganoong klaseng meeting na standard noong panahon na iyan, papalabasin niya na iyon iyong pruweba niya na insider siya (That kind of meeting, which was standard at the time, he is trying to present as proof that he was an insider),” Panelo said.

“Pero ang totoo, napakarami pong pumunta at hindi siya ang nag-organize ng meeting na iyan (But the truth is, many people attended, and he was not the one who organized that meeting),” he added.

Madriaga, who has described himself as Duterte’s former aide and “bagman,” earlier alleged that illegal campaign funds from drug syndicates and Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) financed pro-Duterte groups such as ISIP Pilipinas.

“I did not instruct him to form ISIP Pilipinas. I did not fund its operations,” Duterte said in her reply-affidavit.

These claims were later cited in impeachment complaints against Duterte.

Her legal team added that Madriaga’s claims about cash deliveries and bank transactions had already been contradicted by public records, business owners, and official government certifications.

Duterte’s camp said the reply-affidavit strengthens their case, arguing that Madriaga’s own submissions have further weakened his credibility.