Madriaga: P125M confidential funds ‘disposed of in less than 24 hours’

By Zaldy De Layola, Philippine News Agency

(Screengrab House of Representatives of the Philippines/facebook)

MANILA – Vice President Sara Duterte’s alleged former “bagman” Ramil Madriaga on Tuesday claimed that the PHP125 million in confidential funds under the Office of the Vice President (OVP) in 2022 was not spent in 11 days as previously reported, but was instead “disposed of” in less than 24 hours.

In a sworn supplemental affidavit read during the House Committee on Justice hearing, Madriaga disputed earlier accounts on the use of the funds, which have been under scrutiny in the impeachment proceedings against the Vice President.

“A few years later, I read from several media reports that the PHP125 million OVP confidential funds in 2022 were reportedly utilized in just 11 days. This is wrong because I personally disposed of the money in less than 24 hours,” Madriaga alleged in his affidavit.

The PHP125 million in confidential funds released to the OVP in 2022 has drawn public attention after questions were raised over the speed of its utilization, with reports indicating the amount had been spent within 11 days.

Madriaga’s affidavit offers a more compressed timeline, alleging that the funds were moved and delivered within hours through a series of coordinated cash transactions involving multiple locations and recipients.

He described in detail a December 2022 operation in which bags of cash, each allegedly containing between PHP30 million and PHP35 million, were taken from the Department of Education central office in Pasig City and delivered to various destinations, including Laguna and Quezon City.

Madriaga said the deliveries were carried out allegedly under direct instructions from Duterte and involved members of the Vice-Presidential Security and Protection Group, including Col. Dennis Nolasco and Col. Raymund Dante Lachica.

According to him, the cash was packed in bundles of PHP1,000 bills, arranged in stacks of PHP1 million each and sealed in transparent plastic, then transported using multiple vehicles to designated drop-off points.

Madriaga claimed his account contradicts the Vice President’s earlier statements denying any wrongdoing and disputing allegations of irregularities in the use of public funds.

“However, her denial of any affiliation with me is absolutely false. She lied under oath in her Perjury Complaint against me,” he said.

Madriaga’s affidavit adds to a growing body of allegations surrounding the OVP’s use of confidential funds, which has become a central issue in the impeachment proceedings, alongside questions on transparency, accountability and compliance with auditing rules.