VP sues alleged ‘bagman’ Madriaga for perjury
Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday filed a perjury complaint against Ramil Madriaga over claims he made last year that he served as her “bagman” who handled drug money during her election campaign in 2022.
Accompanied by her lawyer Salvador Paolo Panelo Jr. during the filing at the Taguig City prosecutor’s office, Duterte again not only denied Madriaga’s statements but also tagged him as part of a kidnap-for-ransom group that was planning to assassinate her.
One of Madriaga’s lawyers responded later in the day and reminded Duterte that a perjury complaint should not be used as a “tool” to intimidate and “silence” critics or whistleblowers.
Madriaga earlier submitted an affidavit to the Office of the Ombudsman saying he delivered large sums of money to various individuals on Duterte’s instructions.
The affidavit was included in the impeachment complaints filed against the Vice President at the House of Representatives.
“We have already seen how the case at the International Criminal Court against former President Rodrigo Duterte relied on testimonies from Antonio Trillanes’ witnesses that were bought or fabricated, such as those from Arturo Lascañas and Edgar Matobato,” the Vice President said in a statement.
In her 340-page complaint, mostly composed of annexes including affidavits from her security team and organizers of her vice presidential campaign, Duterte insisted she has no personal or professional relationship with Madriaga.
“In fact, prior to the dissemination of the Madriaga affidavit, I had no recollection of knowing, meeting, or interacting with Madriaga,” she stated in her complaint.
She added that it was only upon consultation with lawyer Ryan Rey Quilala, one of the personalities mentioned by Madriaga in his affidavit, that she found out that the latter was a campaign supporter and member of ISIP Pilipinas, or the “Inday Sara Is my President” movement.
Assassination plot
Duterte also said that she learned “sometime in 2024” about an assassination plot against her by the so-called “Madriaga Kidnap for Random Group.”
“It was only after my discussion with Atty. Quilala that I realized that Ramil Madriaga and the ‘Madriaga’ in the Kidnap for Ransom Group [are] one and the same person,” she said.
In previous statements, the Vice President denied any connection with Madriaga, even as he kept insisting that he had known her since the presidency of her father, Rodrigo Duterte.
In her complaint, Duterte denied that she was introduced to Madriaga in 2018 in Davao City through her father and that the former president never mentioned Madriaga at all to her, as well as the other contents of the affidavit.
Timing of complaint
Mark Anthony Te, one of the lawyers representing Madriaga, said perjury “should never be used as a tool to intimidate, retaliate or silence individuals who provide sworn testimony in matters of public concern.”
“Mr. Madriaga stands firmly by the truthfulness of his affidavit and is fully prepared to defend it before the proper authorities,” Te said in a separate statement sent to the Inquirer.
He questioned the timing of the complaint, noting that Madriaga’s affidavit was executed and notarized on Nov. 29, 2025, and was submitted in connection with impeachment proceedings against Duterte.
“The question naturally arises: why only now?” Te asked. “The public is entitled to consider whether this complaint is a genuine legal action or a reaction to sworn testimony that raised serious issues.” —WITH A REPORT FROM ISABELLE PECHAY
******
Get real-time news updates: inqnews.net/inqviber
