Lawyer Manases Carpio, husband of Vice President Sara Duterte, has filed a civil case seeking P7.3 million in damages against individuals linked to the impeachment complaint against his wife. Carpio alleges that “perjurious lies” damaged his law practice and personal reputation.
Carpio, managing partner of Carpio Lawyers, filed the complaint before the Davao City Regional Trial Court on April 29 against Joel Saballa, Ramil Lagu’noy Madriaga, and several unnamed “co-conspirators, confederators, cooperators, and connivers.”
The lawsuit alleges that the defendants conspired to “blacken, degrade, destroy and harm” the political standing of Vice President Sara Duterte while indirectly damaging Carpio’s “unsullied reputation.” The complaint stems from the impeachment complaint filed before the House of Representatives of the Philippines on Feb. 9, 2026, which accused Duterte of violating the Constitution, bribery, graft and corruption, commission of high crimes, inciting sedition and insurrection, and betrayal of public trust.
Carpio claimed that Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-List representative Leila de Lima immediately endorsed the impeachment complaint through a resolution dated Feb. 9. He also accused Madriaga of strengthening the complaint by allegedly submitting false affidavits and testimony before the House Committee on Justice. According to Carpio, Madriaga repeated previous allegations and introduced new accusations against the vice president in an April 14 statement.
Carpio described the accusations as part of a coordinated “black propaganda” campaign allegedly aimed at disqualifying Duterte from the 2028 presidential race. The lawsuit seeks P1 million in actual damages for alleged income losses in his legal practice, P3 million in moral damages for “serious anxiety” and damage to his reputation, and P3 million in exemplary damages to deter what he described as the “malicious weaponization” of impeachment proceedings. He also asked the court to award P300,000 in attorney’s fees and litigation expenses.
The complaint specifically cited Madriaga’s testimony before the House Committee on Justice, in which he claimed he delivered duffel bags containing millions of pesos in confidential funds to various locations upon the vice president’s instructions. Carpio described the allegations as “concocted, coached, and invented lies.”
The complaint further argued that impeachable officers may only be held liable for acts committed during their current term and in relation to official duties. Carpio alleged that the defendants acted in bad faith by including accusations beyond those legal limits. “Plaintiff’s law practice via his Carpio Law Office has been irreparably damaged, adversely impacted his good reputation in the legal community, resulting in severe loss of income and legal opportunities,” the complaint stated.
De Lima endorsed the impeachment complaint on Feb. 9, 2026, before it was referred to Gerville Luistro for appropriate action. Carpio’s lawsuit claimed the referrals amplified the reputational damage through increased public scrutiny and what he described as a “massive invasion of privacy.” The case remains pending before the court as it awaits the issuance of a summons and scheduling of hearings.
