MANILA — The House Committee on Justice is expecting the appearance of Ramil Madriaga, tagged as a key witness in the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte, during its hearing on Tuesday, April 14, House Deputy Minority Leader Chel Diokno said.

Speaking to Super Radyo dzBB on Sunday, Diokno said Madriaga, who has been described as a confessed bagman of the Vice President, is considered among the most crucial witnesses based on the allegations outlined in the complaints.

“Ayon sa mismong alegasyon ng mga complaint na sufficient in form and substance lumalabas na si Madriaga ang isa sa medyo pinakamahalagang testigo,” Diokno said.

(Based on the allegations in the complaint, which were found sufficient in form and substance, it appears that Madriaga is one of the more important witnesses.)

Diokno stressed the importance of hearing directly from Madriaga, particularly regarding the contents of his sworn statement, adding that his testimony should be made under oath.

“Inaasahan natin na haharap siya doon. Papakinggan natin kung ano ba ang alam niya. Dapat under oath ‘yan para kapag lumalabas na siya ay nagsisinungaling, pwede siyang kasuhan ng perjury at kung ano-ano pang kaso,” he said.

(We expect his attendance. We will listen to what he knows. His testimony should be under oath so that he may be charged with perjury and other applicable offenses if he lies.)

The lawmaker also rejected claims from Duterte’s camp that the House proceedings are merely a “fishing expedition,” saying the panel is acting within its authority under both House rules and the Constitution.

“Yung mga sinasabi nilang fishing expedition daw ito, na hindi daw kami puwedeng mag-subpoena, nasa loob ‘yan ng aming rules ng House of Representatives. Mismong ang Saligang Batas natin ang nagsabi at nag-utos sa amin na mag-conduct ng hearing,” Diokno said.

(Claims that this is supposedly a fishing expedition and that we are not allowed to issue subpoenas are covered by the rules of the House of Representatives. The Constitution itself states and instructs us to conduct a hearing.)

He added that the scheduled hearing will proceed as planned, describing it as part of the evaluation process.

“So far as far as we are concerned, ‘yung hearing sa Tuesday, tuloy na tuloy po ‘yan (the Tuesday hearing will push through),” he said. “This is the time for evaluation.”

Meanwhile, Duterte’s legal counsel Salvador Paolo Panelo Jr. downplayed Madriaga’s potential testimony, describing him as the “weakest link” in the case.

“And yet when they (House) talk about Ramil Madriaga, they talk about him like he’s the smoking gun, he’s the missing link to all of this, when really we think he’s the weakest link. As counsel for the perjury case, we’re not going to stop them from self-destructing their case by inviting Madriaga to testify,” Panelo said.

“That will only expose this entire process (impeachment) as a political process that has nothing to do with evidence and accountability,” he added.

Separately, 17 individuals composed of lawyers and private citizens have sought to intervene in the case before the Supreme Court, asking to be included as petitioners to halt the impeachment proceedings against Duterte.

In their petition, they argued that the proceedings would affect their constitutional interests as citizens and stakeholders, particularly in Mindanao.

“There is a reason why impeachment is the road less travelled – it is often the wrong road. No less than the Constitution reserves this sui generis process to the vilest and most treasonous of grounds committed by an exclusive list of impeachable government officials,” the petition read.

“As meticulously and unmistakably demonstrated in this petition, the impeachment proceedings against the petitioner are unconstitutional and continuing with them will result in a miscarriage of justice and a mockery of processes that our Constitution and laws have always aimed to protect,” it added.

The move came after Duterte asked the high court to issue a temporary restraining order to stop the House from continuing the impeachment hearings.

Constitutional law expert and former Integrated Bar of the Philippines president Domingo Cayosa said the latest petition indicates the Vice President’s camp is once again seeking relief from the Supreme Court.

“Ang simpleng nakikita natin sa ginagawa ng kampo ng Vice President ay nagpapasaklolo ulit sa Supreme Court. Siguro nawili sila doon sa unang nangyari nung natigil yung impeachment hearing sa Senado dahil sa desisyon ng Supreme Court,” Cayosa said.

(We can clearly see that the Vice President’s camp is once again seeking help from the Supreme Court. Perhaps they have become accustomed to what happened the first time, when the impeachment hearing in the Senate was halted due to a Supreme Court decision.)

In July 2025, the Supreme Court ruled the Articles of Impeachment against Duterte unconstitutional, citing a violation of the one-year rule under the Constitution and her right to due process. The ruling prompted the Senate to archive the articles, with 19 senators voting in favor, four against, and one abstention.