Sara Duterte calls out 'political harassment' after Madriaga complaint junked

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Vice President Sara Duterte accused the administration of political harassment after the perjury complaint she filed against her alleged former bagman Ramil Madriaga was dismissed.

“Well, makikita natin yung pattern na kapag nagsisinungaling yung isang tao, nagsisinungaling yung isang kidnapper ay okay lang. Basta sa nakakatulong yun sa political harassment ng administrasyon,” she said in an ambush interview.

(Well, we can see the pattern that when a person lies, a kidnapper lies, it's okay. As long as it helps the political harassment of the administration.)

The Office of the City Prosecutor of Taguig earlier dismissed the perjury complaint filed by Duterte against Madriaga for “lack of prima facie evidence with reasonable certainty to conviction.”

Madriaga, who identified himself as a former aide of Duterte, alleged that drug dealers and Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO) operators were funding a campaign for the Vice President.

In her perjury complaint, Duterte said that Madriaga’s accusations were disproven by certifications from the Presidential Security Command, Office of the Vice President, Davao City Government, among others.

She also claimed that Madriaga crafted his statements from publicly available information.

Asked about calls for her disbarment over her statement of lack of trust with the courts, Duterte expressed openness for the possible complaints.

“We will take each case as they come and we will answer each complaint as they come,” she said.

Malacañang earlier said the Supreme Court could investigate Duterte’s recent remarks that she does not trust the Philippine courts.

Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro was asked whether Duterte’s statements could constitute conduct unbecoming of a member of the Bar and potentially serve as a basis for disciplinary action or disbarment.

“Siguro po ang Supreme Court na po natin ang makakasagot niyan. Maaari naman po ang Supreme Court na magsagawa ng motu proprio or on its own initiative na pag-iimbestiga patungkol po dito,” Castro said.

(Maybe our Supreme Court can answer that. The Supreme Court can conduct a motu proprio, or on its own initiative, investigation into this.) —VAL, GMA News