Detainee ramil lagunoy madriaga, held at camp bagong diwa in taguig, filed an affidavit implicating vice president sara duterte in irregularities involving confidential funds and philippine offshore gaming operators. He links the accusations to his alleged work for the vp and transactions in 2022. The vp denied the claims and clarified that her visit to the facility was only to arnolfo teves jr.
Ramil lagunoy madriaga, a detainee arrested in july 2023 by the philippine national police's anti-kidnapping group as the fifth most wanted member of the madriaga kidnap for ransom group, filed an affidavit on november 29, 2024, and submitted it to the office of the ombudsman on december 15. In the affidavit, he links himself to vice president sara duterte, former davao city mayor, claiming she instructed him to form the group isip pilipinas in 2019 for her 2022 presidential bid, funded by the vp.
Madriaga added accusations about duffle bags containing p33-35 million each from the department of education in december 2022, which he allegedly delivered with colonels dennis nolasco and raymund lachica to various locations, including a comedy bar in quezon city and the ombudsman office. He ties these to the confidential funds controversy totaling p612.5 million for the office of the vice president and depEd in 2022 and 2023. Additionally, he accused her husband manases carpio of involvement in magnetic lifters containing shabu in 2018, and claimed isip funding came from pogos and drug dealers.
In a statement on december 22, vp duterte denied any personal ties to madriaga, calling them 'bare allegations' without evidence. Officials like nolasco, lachica, and reynold munsayac also refuted the claims. Meanwhile, interior secretary jonvic remulla stated the vp visited camp bagong diwa on october 19, 2024, but only former congressman arnolfo teves jr., suspect in the murder of negros oriental governor roel degamo. Madriaga's lawyers insisted she visited him twice, but bureau of jail management and penology records do not confirm this. These accusations form part of the broader house of representatives investigation into confidential funds, where a plunder case was recommended against the vp and others.
