Metro Manila, Philippines – The affidavit of the self-confessed bagman of Vice President Sara Duterte may be considered new evidence in the impeachment complaints against her, a lawmaker said ahead of the beginning of initial deliberations on the ouster bids next week.
Speaking at a news forum on Saturday, Feb. 28, Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon said the justice panel will review with “a critical eye” the statements of detained former military agent Ramil Madriaga, who raised a number of allegations against the vice president.
Madriaga earlier said he delivered duffle bags filled with cash to a number of people from 2022 to 2023, upon the instruction of Duterte’s security aides.
He said the funding for Duterte’s election campaign came from drug lords and illegal offshore gaming. Duterte denied the claims.
READ: VP Duterte’s alleged bagman submits affidavit to Ombudsman
“Very important po na ma-vet thoroughly lahat po ng babanggitin niya, lahat ng nakasaad sa kanyang affidavit…So if the question is what is new in this impeachment proceeding, it would be the Madriaga affidavit,” Ridon said.
[Translation: It is very important that everything he mentions and everything stated in his affidavit be thoroughly vetted. So if the question is what is new in this impeachment proceeding, it would be the Madriaga affidavit.]
Earlier this week, the National Unity Party, one of the biggest groups at the House of Representatives, said its members will unlikely vote in favor of the impeachment unless new evidence is presented.
The pronouncement was less than a week after Duterte declared that she will run for president in 2028.
Ridon said the vice president’s election bid would be irrelevant to the justice committee’s initial proceedings, which will begin on March 2.
“The declaration of the vice president relating to her presidency in 2028 is forward-looking. No question about it. Pero [But] the impeachment proceeding deals with things that are being alleged that she had done previously. So, I think the committee will focus on that and the House will ultimately focus on that,” he said.
The committee will determine whether the four complaints are sufficient in form and in substance, a crucial step before a proper hearing is conducted.
The ouster bids stemmed from Duterte’s alleged fund misuse, threats to the presidential family, and her supposed unexplained wealth, among others.
In February 2025, more than 200 lawmakers impeached Duterte over the same allegations, but was declared by the Supreme Court unconstitutional over procedural issues.
