The House Committee on Justice on Saturday said it will first conduct a thorough reading and evaluation of the two impeachment complaints filed against Vice President Sara Duterte, including the affidavit submitted by her former aide, Ramil Madriaga.
House Deputy Majority Leader Gil “Kabarangay Jr.” Acosta said the committee has yet to read the affidavit, stressing that lawmakers will still have to examine the matter carefully.
Acosta, an ex-officio member of the House justice committee, made the remark in response to a query on the inclusion of Madriaga, a client of Atty. Raymund Palad of the Palad, Lauron Palad and Te (PLPT) Law Office, in the impeachment complaints.
“Doon pa lang natin makikita ‘yung nilalaman ng complaint,” Acosta said.
For his part, Palad said Madriaga is prepared to face the impeachment proceedings against Duterte and is willing to appear before Congress, the Senate, or the Office of the Ombudsman once formally summoned.
“Alam niya kasi nag-aral naman ng abogasya ’yan. Alam niya the fact na nag-execute siya ng affidavit, puwede siyang ipatawag sa Kongreso, sa Senado o sa Ombudsman,” Palad said during the same media forum. “So yung willingness niya, yes. Basta maka-receive siya ng subpoena o ipatawag, mag-a-appear po siya.”
Palad said neither he nor his client has been formally approached since the impeachment complaints were filed, adding that they only learned through news reports that Madriaga’s affidavit was cited as one of the grounds.
“Sabi ko nga sa inyo nung nai-file itong impeachment na ito, hindi ho nga namin alam na gagamitin,” Palad said. “Sa news report ko lang nalaman na ginamit pala nila as one of the grounds.”
“After filing, wala pong lumalapit na i-ready na or what. In fact, mula nung mai-file ‘yung impeachment, hindi pa kami nagkakausap ni Ramil,” he added.
Asked if they are ready should the case proceed to trial, Palad said they are prepared to present all available evidence, including electronic records.
“Yes,” he said. “Kaya nga po, ‘yung efforts namin na makuha ‘yung three mobile phones niya, sabi niya, ‘Attorney makuha mo lang ’yan, andiyan lahat ng ebidensya.’”
Palad said they would seek the assistance of the impeachment court if necessary.
“Kung hindi namin makuha ’yan sa paraan namin, at least the impeachment court can subpoena, can order the court to surrender the three mobile phones for forensic examination,” he said.
Palad further said Madriaga has identified Chinese nationals Michael Yang and Ling Wei Xiong as among the individuals he personally encountered in connection with the movement of money, clarifying that the statements were limited to places, names, and circumstances directly witnessed by his client.
“Ang sinasabi niya lang mga places kung saan siya kumukuha ng pera. Ang nababanggit niya ‘yung pangalang Michael Yang at Ling Wei Xiong, ’yan ang mga nakikita niya, nakakasalamuhan niya,” Palad alleged based on Madriaga’s account.
Asked whether the Yang mentioned was the former economic adviser or consultant of then President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, Palad answered in the affirmative.
“Yes,” he said, adding that Ling Wei Xiong was among those previously summoned by the Quad Comm.
“Si Ling Wei Xiong, ‘yung pinapatawag sa Quad Comm na ang sabi nasa Hong Kong na engaged sa illegal drugs, ’yun ang mga binabanggit niya na mga pangalan,” Palad alleged.
He explained that the references to the two individuals stemmed from specific encounters related to the handling and movement of money.