Metro Manila, Philippines – Vice President Sara Duterte said on Thursday, Dec. 25, that she will neither confirm nor deny the pronouncement of Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla that she visited former Negros Oriental 3rd District Rep. Arnie Teves in detention.
“Ang sinasabi ko, wala akong iko-confirm at ide-de-deny. Kung gusto nila sila ang magsalita, magsalita sila. Basta ang sinasabi ko, hindi ko kilala si Ramil Madriaga,” she told reporters in a chance interview in Davao City.
[Translation: What I’m saying is, I’m not going to confirm or deny anything. If they want to speak, let them speak. All I’m saying is, I don’t know Ramil Madriaga.]
Remulla earlier said Duterte visited Teves at the Camp Bagong Diwa facility in Taguig City in October and not Madriaga, who claimed to be working as a bagman for the vice president.
Teves, a designated terrorist, is facing multiple murder charges in connection to the killing of former Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo in March 2023. After staying in Timor Leste, he was deported back to the Philippines in May after two years of evading arrest.
In January 2024, Teves expressed support for the Duterte family, when former President Rodrigo Duterte accused President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of being a drug addict. At that time, the former congressman also appealed to the public to support the vice president.
“Let us support VP Inday Sara, huwag natin siya pabayaan na apihin ng kanyang kasamahan o katunggali man sa gobyerno,” he said in a Facebook video.
[Translation: Let us support VP Sara. Let’s not allow her to be oppressed by her colleagues or even by her rivals in the government.]
Madriaga’s counsel previously claimed that Duterte visited his client in jail in October, which the vice president earlier denied. The self-confessed bagman also alleged that she was instructed by Duterte to deliver millions in cash to various individuals.
Duterte once again rejected the accusations as a supposed defamation tool for the 2028 elections. She has not confirmed whether or not she will run for higher office.
