The Manila Times
MANILA, Philippines — A lawmaker and official at the House of Representatives called on the committee presiding over the impeachment,case against Vice President Sara Duterte to scrutinize the testimony of her alleged bagman. Bagong Henerasyon Partylist Rep. Robert Nazal underscored the need to uphold truth, fairness, and integrity in the ongoing impeachment proceedings by the justice committee where it heard the testimony early this week of Ramil Madriaga who detailed key information that could determine probable cause. His call also comes as a recent survey showed that more than half disapprove of the impeachment complaints against Dutert But in a statement on Saturday, Nazal, House assistant minority leader, cited public records indicating that Madriaga was currently detained at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig, in connection with a pending kidnapping-for-ransom case. Madriaga, Nazal added, was also linked to serious criminal activities, including being identified by authorities as a high-value target and a reported leader of a kidnapping group. Nazal noted that such circumstances may have implications on the witness’ motive and credibility. “These are not raised to prejudge the witness, but to underscore that credibility matters—especially in proceedings of this magnitude," he said. He also highlighted gaps in his supplemental affidavit, including lack of detail, absence of corroborating evidence, and inconsistencies in the source of attached materials. Nazal emphasized that impeachment proceedings demanded more than mere allegations, stressing that evidence must be credible, substantial, and verifiable. He called on his colleagues to carefully weigh the testimony and affidavit of the witness with due diligence and prudence. Meanwhile, in the survey conducted on March 10-17, 2026 by WR Numero, 53 percent said that they disapproved of the impeachment complaints against Duterte, while 32 percent said that they agreed that she has to be impeached and 16 percent were unsure. At least 46 percent said that they did not have sufficient knowledge about the evidence or basis for the impeachment complaint filed against Duterte. Those who were aware, however, were split, with 25 percent saying it was weak and groundless, 22 percent saying the evidence is strong. The face-to-face survey had 1,455 respondents across the country with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.57 percent. The WR Numero survey contrasted with a receng Tangere survey which said that 7 out of 10 Filipinos favored the vice president's impeachment.
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