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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Duterte camp seeks consolidation of perjury complaints vs Madriaga

Duterte camp seeks consolidation of perjury complaints vs Madriaga

Panelo says related allegations and evidence warrant a single proceeding

Published Aug 19, 2026 03:23 pm

At A Glance

  • Atty. Paolo Panelo said VP Sara Duterte is asking the Taguig City Prosecutor's Office to consolidate the two perjury complaints against Ramil Madriaga.
  • The second complaint includes five new affidavits, while 12 corroborating witness affidavits were used across both complaints.
  • Copies of the second complaint and its evidence were also sent to Duterte's impeachment defense team for possible use in the Senate proceedings.
Vice President Sara Duterte’s lawyer, Atty. Paolo Panelo said she is seeking the consolidation of two perjury complaints filed against Ramil Madriaga, saying the allegations and evidence in both cases are closely related. (Screengrab: Zoom / OVP)
Vice President Sara Duterte’s lawyer, Atty. Paolo Panelo said she is seeking the consolidation of two perjury complaints filed against Ramil Madriaga, saying the allegations and evidence in both cases are closely related. (Screengrab: Zoom / OVP)
The legal team of Vice President Sara Duterte is seeking to consolidate the two perjury complaints filed against Ramil Madriaga and have them resolved together.
In a virtual press briefing on Wednesday, August 19, Atty. Paolo Panelo said the second complaint is closely related to the first because it addresses additional details contained in Madriaga’s supplemental affidavit.
“We’re hoping for a consolidation so that it will be resolved together,” Panelo said.
Panelo said handling the complaints in a single proceeding would be more practical because the allegations and evidence are related.
“Instead of doing two separate proceedings, one proceeding na lang, kasi related naman yung allegations, related din yung proof (Let’s have just one, since the allegations are related and the proof is also connected),” he said.
Second complaint addresses new affidavit details
The first perjury complaint has already been submitted for resolution, according to Panelo. The second complaint was filed to address what he described as new details raised by Madriaga in his supplemental affidavit.
“Yung mga panibagong detalye na binigay niya doon sa supplemental affidavit niya, yun ang binasag namin dito sa second perjury complaint (The new details he provided in his supplemental affidavit are what we challenged here in the second perjury complaint),” he added.
Panelo said the legal team would file a motion for consolidation with the Taguig City Prosecutor’s Office.
“We will be asking the Office of the City Prosecutor of Taguig to consolidate and resolve together,” Panelo said.
However, Panelo acknowledged that the prosecutor’s office could deny the motion, in which case the first complaint could still be resolved separately.
“It’s also possible, because motion lang po naming (since it’s only our motion),” Panelo said. “Kung i-deny po nila yung motion to consolidate, it can very well happen na mag-decide sila on the first perjury complaint (If they deny the motion to consolidate, it could very well happen that they decide on the first perjury complaint),” he added.
Panelo said the second complaint supplements the evidence previously submitted in the first case. He said the new filing contains five new affidavits, while 12 corroborating witness affidavits in total were used across the first and second complaints.
The legal team has also transmitted copies of the second complaint and its evidence to Duterte’s impeachment defense team for possible use in the Senate proceedings. 
RELATED STORY: 
https://mb.com.ph/2026/08/19/vp-sara-duterte-impeachment-panelo-says-madriaga-could-be-star-witness-for-defense

Related Tags

Sara Duterte Ramil Madriaga perjury complaints Paolo Panelo Sara Duterte impeachment
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