THE House Committee on Justice, voting 29-1 with no abstention, subpoenaed detainee Ramil Lagunoy Madriaga, who has claimed he was the alleged bagman of Vice President Sara Z. Duterte.
The issuance of a subpoena duces tecum and ad testificandum to Mardiaga was prompted by a motion presented by former justice secretary and now Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima.
De Lima, endorser of the impeachment complaint filed by Fr. Joel Saballa et al, said the committee chaired by Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro of Batangas should summon Madriaga “to produce, identify and authenticate his affidavit dated November 29, 2025 which is annex A of the complaint in the Saballa et al. complaint.”
She said the alleged bagman should also come up with “any other documentary or object evidence in his possession and to testify thereon…with respect to receipt, handling and distribution of the confidential funds (which are) very clearly alleged in the complaint of the Saballa et al.”
The lone dissenting vote was cast by Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, who earlier said the panel has no jurisdiction over issues involving the Vice President when she was education secretary because she is not impeachable in such capacity.
De Lima also moved for the issuance as well of subpoena duces tecum and ad testificandum to lawyer Cynthia Vinas-Pantonal, the notary public who notarized Madriaga’s affidavit.
Thirty committee members voted to approve the summons, with Rodriguez again dissenting.
Another motion presented by the former justice secretary was for the issuance of another subpoena duces tecum and subpoena ad testificandum to the custodian of the Archives Division of the House of Representatives.
The custodian is “to produce, identify, and authenticate transcripts, video recordings, and related documents of the original affidavit of Mr. Madriaga dated November 29, 2025, as well as the related records of prior hearings of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability on the Office of the Vice President’s and Department of Education’s disposition of their confidential funds for 2022 and 2023.”
The House officer was also asked to produce the “affidavit of USEC Gloria Mercado and the envelopes labeled HOPE submitted by Undersecretary Mercado.”
The former Department of Education (DepEd) official has admitted to receiving envelopes containing money allegedly coming from VP Duterte when she was education secretary.
De Lima likewise asked the committee to issue yet another subpoena duces tecum and subpoena ad testificandum to a representative from the Philippine Statistics Authority to produce, identify, and authenticate certifications from the Civil Registry System on the certificate of live birth, certificate of marriage, certificate of death on several names found in the submissions of the Office of the Vice President and Department of Education (DepEd), particularly certification dated December 8, 2024, and December 11, 2024.
“This is to show the recipients of OVPs and DepEds confidential funds had no birth, marriage, or death records, as well as to identify and authenticate the requested certifications,” the former justice secretary said.
“The same (motion) has been seconded. Is there any objection? Hearing none, the motion is granted. The committee is directed to issue the necessary subpoena to the representative of the PSA as well as for the production of the documents mentioned therein,” Luistro declared.
