A former staff member once involved in organizing a national network backing then-Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte has accused Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) and drug groups of secretly channeling funds into her 2022 campaign operations. The claims surfaced through a sworn affidavit by Ramil Lagunoy Madriaga, whose statements were reported by Politiko.
Madriaga, who helped build the Inday Sara Duterte Is My President (ISIP) movement with Duterte’s former law school classmates, asserted that financiers outside traditional political circles supplied the organization with large amounts of cash. “The funding for the ISIP Pilipinas national campaign (2021 to 2022), along with other parallel groups, came from POGO operators and drug dealers,” he said in his affidavit.
Before these alleged contributions began, Madriaga said the group initially relied on financial backing from Duterte and her allied support networks. ISIP was registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as ISIP Pilipinas and later expanded nationwide to promote Duterte’s early presidential plans, with Madriaga serving as its national convenor.
Madriaga’s lawyer, Raymund Palad, speaking on One News’ “Storycon,” said his client had longstanding grievances over being arrested for kidnapping, a case filed by a client of former presidential spokesman Harry Roque. Palad added that they reviewed Madriaga’s narrative thoroughly before agreeing to represent him.
Politiko reported that Madriaga’s involvement with Duterte’s circle overlapped with sensitive operational tasks, including his participation in forming the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group (VPSPG) after the 2022 elections. He said he worked directly under Col. Dennis Nolasco and Col. Raymund Dante Lachica from July 2022 to April 2023 and had been responsible for transporting large sums of cash to various locations.
One of the incidents he described involved bringing a duffle bag of money to a comedy bar in Quezon City, which he said was frequented by alumni of San Sebastian College of Law. He claimed to have seen OVP spokesperson Reynold Munsayac there and alleged that Munsayac directed him—through gestures—to leave the bag in an upstairs office before departing.
Munsayac rejected the account entirely. “The concocted story is preposterous. A narration, to be believed, must not only proceed from the mouth of a credible person, but the story must be credible itself. Here, aside from the fact that it comes from a polluted source, the allegations simply defy logic and common human experience. I do not know him personally and never had any dealings with him. My interaction with the group ISIP is limited to Atty. Ryan Quilala.”
Madriaga also alleged that he delivered a vehicle containing cash to the parking compound of the Office of the Ombudsman, following instructions to leave the keys atop the car’s front wheel before exiting the premises.
His criminal background was confirmed by former Philippine National Police chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr., who said Madriaga had been linked to kidnap-for-ransom activities and was arrested in 2023 alongside four others while allegedly preparing for another abduction operation.
Commentary surrounding Madriaga intensified after columnist Ramon Tulfo wrote on Facebook about supposed late-night visits by Vice President Duterte to Madriaga’s detention area in Camp Bagong Diwa. Tulfo claimed, “Madriaga is being held in custody pending the conclusion of the kidnapping case filed against him. Now we know the reason for visiting him at night: VP Sara is begging Madriaga to stop talking about the Dutertes’ collusion with drug lords and POGOs.” He also alleged that Roque assisted POGO operators in filing kidnapping cases against Madriaga.
Palad, however, told Storycon that while the Vice President had visited the detention facility, she never met with Madriaga. Tulfo noted separately that Madriaga had been acquitted in a 1997 kidnapping case by the Supreme Court, though other charges remain pending.
