Panelo hits Castro over claim Sara knows Madriaga, Gracioso

Vice President Sara Duterte’s spokesperson Salvador Paolo Panelo Jr. on Wednesday dismissed Palace Undersecretary Claire Castro’s claim that Duterte knew Ramil Madriaga and Rodolfo Gracioso Jr., after Castro cited photos and videos of the vice president with the two men as evidence.

“Hindi naman bawal magtanga-tangahan. Nakakahiya lang,” Panelo said.

Castro had maintained that Duterte could not deny knowing Madriaga and Gracioso, pointing to publicly shown photos and videos of their interactions with the vice president.

“Nakita mismo natin sa mga larawan, videos, kung paano niya binati ng ‘Happy birthday, Sir Ramil’ ang isang Ramil Madriaga, so hindi totoong hindi niya kakilala,” Castro said.

“Si Gracioso naman, ipinakita rin naman niya na sila ay madalas magkakasama sa mga event na maaaring pang-personal pa nga, so kung sinong may kredibilidad dito, makikita na lamang sa ebidensya,” she added.

Duterte has repeatedly denied knowing Madriaga, who identified himself as her former aide and “bagman.” During a House impeachment hearing in April, lawmakers played a video of Duterte greeting Madriaga on his birthday, while Madriaga testified about his alleged dealings with the vice president.

Duterte has since filed perjury complaints against Madriaga and rejected his allegations, including claims that her 2022 campaign received funding from illegal sources. Her camp has maintained that Madriaga never worked for her.

The dispute over Gracioso intensified after the dismissed police officer alleged that he delivered suitcases containing billions of pesos to Duterte and members of her family on instructions from former House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco.

In his affidavit, Gracioso claimed Duterte introduced him to Madriaga and instructed him to hand Madriaga a suitcase containing about P20 million for motorcycles supposedly to be used in an election caravan.

Duterte rejected the account on Tuesday, saying she did not know Gracioso or Madriaga and questioning why Madriaga himself had not mentioned the alleged P20-million delivery if it had taken place at her house. She also said she bought a motorcycle cited by Gracioso in December 2017, before the alleged 2019 transaction.