Vice President Sara Duterte said on Thursday, December 25, that she will neither confirm nor deny Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla’s claim that she visited former Negros Oriental 3rd District Representative Arnie Teves in detention.
“Ang sinasabi ko, wala akong iko-confirm at ide-de-deny. Kung gusto nila sila ang magsalita, magsalita sila. Basta ang sinasabi ko, hindi ko kilala si Ramil Madriaga,” she told reporters in a chance interview in Davao City.
Remulla had said Duterte visited Teves at the Camp Bagong Diwa facility in Taguig City in October, not Ramil Madriaga, who claimed to be working as a bagman for the vice president.
Teves, a designated terrorist, faces multiple murder charges over the killing of former Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo in March 2023. After evading arrest for two years in Timor Leste, he was deported back to the Philippines in May.
Earlier, Teves had publicly expressed support for the Duterte family, appealing for backing of the Vice President following accusations made by former President Rodrigo Duterte against President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
Madriaga’s counsel alleged that Duterte instructed him to deliver millions in cash to various individuals, a claim Duterte has repeatedly rejected as a potential defamation tactic ahead of the 2028 elections. She has not confirmed any plans to run for higher office.