SECURITY concerns surrounding Ramil Madriaga have taken on greater weight in the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Z. Duterte, with a House justice panel member saying his participation is consequential to the committee’s evaluation of key portions of the complaint.
Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said the panel is expecting not just subpoenaed documents at the next hearing, but also an update from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on how it is handling Madriaga’s situation.
“Well we already adopted the (motion) to subpoena all the documents … The members will be expecting this to be available (during the next hearing),” Adiong said.
He added that another item the committee expects to receive is a report from the NBI, particularly because lawmakers have already acted on a request to strengthen Madriaga’s protection.
“Pangalawa, I think yung report ng NBI also kung ano ‘yung handling nila doon kay Madriaga,” Adiong said.
Adiong then made clear that the issue is no longer just about witness safety in the abstract. He tied Madriaga directly to two parts of the impeachment case now being weighed by the committee.
“Kasi meron din actually request, I think it was already approved, to beef up the security of Madriaga because his participation would be consequential in the determination of the impeachment hearing. Kasi part po doon sa ating Articles of Impeachment ay ang Article 3 and 4 ng complaints, which is yung testimony ni Madriaga,” Adiong stressed.
That statement places added importance on the government’s response to concerns over Madriaga’s safety, because the committee appears to regard his account as material to its assessment of Articles 3 and 4 of the complaint, Adiong said.
“So that’s also why we would be expecting a report from NBI in response to the resolution or the request that was already adopted earlier when it comes to the safety of Madriaga,” Adiong said.
The next hearing, set after Holy Week, is expected to bring in both documents and witnesses subpoenaed by the committee, and Adiong said he hopes the records being sought will already be in the panel’s hands by then.
“I would anticipate that these documents would be made available in the next committee hearing,” Adiong noted.
With Madriaga’s testimony now described as consequential to the committee’s work, the question of security has moved beyond procedure and into the substance of the impeachment case itself.
