Security concerns surrounding Ramil Madriaga have taken on greater weight in the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara 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 1st District Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said the panel is expecting not just subpoenaed documents in the next hearing on April 14, but also an update from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on how it is handling Madriaga’s situation.
“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 in a news release on Wednesday.
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.
Adiong noted that the issue is no longer just about witness safety in the abstract, as he tied Madriaga directly to two parts of the impeachment case now being weighed by the committee.
“There was actually a request to beef up the security of Madriaga because his participation would be consequential in the determination of the impeachment hearing. Because parts of the Articles of Impeachment are Article 3 and 4 of the complaints, which is the testimony of Madriaga,” he said.
With Madriaga’s testimony now deemed consequential to the committee’s work, the question of security has moved beyond procedure into the substance of the impeachment case itself, Adiong noted.
The next hearing 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,” he said. (PNA)