Details surrounding visits to a high-security jail in Taguig have surfaced as a lawyer for detained former aide Ramil Madriaga alleged that Vice President Sara Duterte personally reached out to his client while he was in custody, actions the defense claims were meant to prevent damaging disclosures.
Madriaga is currently held at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology facility inside Camp Bagong Diwa in connection with the 2022 abduction of two Chinese nationals. According to his counsel, Raymund Palad, Duterte went to see Madriaga on at least two occasions while he was detained.
The exact timing of the first encounter remains unclear, as Madriaga said he could no longer recall the date. Palad, however, said he was certain the second visit took place on October 19, a day before he himself met with Madriaga at the same detention facility.
In a sworn affidavit notarized by lawyer Cynthia Viñas-Pantonal, Madriaga stated that he began working for Duterte in 2018 after being introduced by her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte. He said his work included assignments linked to the National Security Council and the Presidential Security Group during the Duterte administration.
Madriaga claimed he was tasked with gathering intelligence and handling the collection and delivery of large sums of money upon Sara Duterte’s instructions when she was still mayor of Davao City. He said he initially went along with these activities but later decided to speak out after learning that unknown individuals had started looking into the whereabouts and situation of his family.
According to the affidavit, the first jail visit involved an alleged offer from the Vice President to have Madriaga’s kidnapping case dismissed by coordinating with a judge, provided he would abandon plans to expose her alleged activities. During that visit, Duterte allegedly told him she could “fix” the case.
Madriaga further alleged that during the second visit, individuals identified as staff members from the Office of the Vice President entered Camp Bagong Diwa and gathered personal information about detainees’ family members. He noted that the activity appeared to be limited to Annex 2 of the jail facility, where he is being held.
Palad said Camp Bagong Diwa has several annexes and that his client questioned why the information-gathering was conducted only in Annex 2. He added that closed-circuit television footage inside the jail could potentially verify the presence of Duterte and her staff, although he acknowledged that he currently does not have physical evidence directly proving the Vice President’s visits.
Earlier this week, Madriaga’s legal team sent a letter to Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla requesting the creation of a fact-finding body to investigate their client’s allegations, including claims involving the delivery of money allegedly originating from drug lords and Philippine offshore gaming operators.
