Atty. Paolo Panelo legal counsel for Vice President Sara Duterte, dismissed the contents of a handwritten letter dated April 11, 2026 attributed to Ramil Madriaga, calling its allegations unsupported and lacking credibility.
Panelo said the more Madriaga speaks, the stronger it becomes for the Vice President’s defense, pointing to claims involving a supposed term-sharing agreement, a planned ouster, and assassination plots against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
“This is precisely what I meant when I said that the more Ramil Madriaga speaks, the better it becomes for Vice President Sara Duterte’s defense.”
He described the allegations as “pure fiction” and said they are not believable, adding that his side is prepared to respond with evidence if needed.
“His allegations of a secret term-sharing agreement, planned ouster, and assassination plots against PBBM are pure fiction, and not even remotely believable. If the need arises, we will be happy to refute each delusional claim point by point with evidence — something that has eluded all his allegations, past and present.”
Panelo also questioned Madriaga’s credibility, saying that allowing him to testify would only expose inconsistencies in his claims.
“I have repeatedly said that making Madriaga testify would just confirm his lack of credibility and expose his lies.”
He added that recent developments have already reflected this even before any formal testimony.
“He has now succeeded in doing exactly that even before uttering a single word under oath in the House Justice Committee.”
