Bicol Saro Partylist Representative Terry Ridon said the House of Representatives cannot ignore the serious allegations raised by detained Ramil Madriaga against Vice President Sara Duterte, as groups move to include his affidavit in a possible new impeachment complaint.
“Mr. Madriaga’s allegations are grave,” Ridon said in a statement on Saturday, January 10.
“Even without it being part of a ground for impeachment, I guess the Congress can look at it,” he added.
Ridon stressed that if impeachment filers choose to cite the affidavit as a ground, Congress will still require supporting proof.
“If they want it as one of the grounds,” he said, “Congress will ultimately have to require corroborative evidence.”
Madriaga, who is detained at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in Taguig City, alleged in a leaked affidavit that Vice President Duterte’s 2022 campaign was funded by money from Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGO) and drug dealers.
He also claimed to have personally delivered large sums of cash at various locations and to have organized the Inday Sara Duterte Is My President (ISIP) Pilipinas network.
Ridon noted that any House inquiry does not necessarily have to go through the Committee on Justice, saying other panels may investigate given the possible links to syndicate operations and government complicity.
Impeachment proceedings remain on hold as the House awaits the Supreme Court’s resolution on its motion for reconsideration regarding the first impeachment complaint against Duterte, which the high court earlier declared unconstitutional.
“It is very important for the [SC] to resolve this MR because this will provide the next steps for Congress in the event that an impeachment complaint is filed by the 6th of February, 2026,” Ridon said, adding that the ruling will determine whether proceedings resume in the Senate or new complaints are processed under revised rules.