Claiming that he was a victim of “perjurious lies,” lawyer Manases Carpio, the husband of Vice President Sara Duterte has filed a P7.3-million civil lawsuit against several individuals linked to the impeachment complaint against his wife.

The false information damaged his legal career and personal reputation, Carpio said.

The lawsuit, filed on 29 April before the Davao City Regional Trial Court, named Joel Saballa and Ramil Lagunoy Madriaga as defendants, along with several unnamed “co-conspirators, confederators, cooperators and connivers.”

In the suit, Carpio alleged that the defendants orchestrated a coordinated effort to “blacken, degrade, destroy, and harm” the political standing of the Vice President while tarnishing his own “unsullied reputation” as a lawyer.

Carpio is seeking P1 million in actual damages for lost income, P3 million in moral damages for anxiety and reputational harm, and P3 million in exemplary damages, which he said would serve to deter the “malicious weaponization of the impeachment processes.”

He is also asking the court to award P300,000 in attorney’s fees and litigation expenses.

The case stemmed from an impeachment complaint filed before the House of Representatives on 9 February accusing Vice President Duterte of constitutional violations, bribery, graft and corruption, betrayal of public trust, and other alleged offenses.

Carpio claimed the accusations formed part of what he described as a broader “black propaganda” campaign aimed at disqualifying the Vice President from her 2028 presidential bid.

De Lima included

The lawsuit also mentioned Mamamayang Liberal Partylist Rep. Leila de Lima, alleging that the lawmaker appeared to have “immediately endorsed” the impeachment complaint through a resolution dated the same day it was filed.

According to the complaint, Madriaga played a central role in bolstering the impeachment case by allegedly providing false testimony and affidavits before the House Committee on Justice.

Carpio specifically challenged Madriaga’s claim that he delivered duffel bags containing millions of pesos in confidential funds to various locations on the Vice President’s instructions.

Carpio described the allegations as “concocted, coached, and invented lies.”

The plaintiff argued that the defendants acted in bad faith by including accusations that allegedly fell outside the constitutional grounds for impeachment, asserting that impeachable officers may only be held liable for acts committed during their incumbency and in relation to their official functions.

In his complaint, Carpio said the controversy had severely affected his law practice and standing within the legal community.