VICE President Sara Duterte filed perjury charges on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, against Ramil Madriaga, who claimed that her 2022 campaign was funded by Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogos) and drug-linked financiers.
In a statement, Duterte categorically denied the allegations of Madriaga, who claimed to be her former aide and “bagman.”
“Si Madriaga ay isang akusado sa kasong kidnapping na nagpanggap na campaign supporter at mula roon ay biglang lumitaw bilang testigo kuno sa impeachment laban sa akin,” the Vice President said.
(Madriaga is an accused in a kidnapping case who pretended to be a campaign supporter and from there suddenly emerged as a supposed witness in the impeachment against me.)
“Dahil dito, ngayong araw ay naghain ako ng kasong perjury laban kay Ramil Madriaga upang tuluyang mapanagot siya sa kanyang mga kasinungalingan. Hindi maaaring hayaang gamitin ang mga imbentong kwento upang linlangin ang publiko,” she added.
(Because of this, today I filed a perjury case against Ramil Madriaga to finally hold him accountable for his lies. Fabricated stories must not be allowed to deceive the public.)
Madriaga filed a notarized affidavit in December 2025 containing his claims, describing himself as having worked with various government units and helped organize the group Inday Sara Duterte Is My President (Isip) Pilipinas.
He claimed to have delivered funds and worked behind the scenes on Duterte’s purported instructions.
In an earlier statement, Duterte said she never had any personal or professional relationship with Madriaga, nor did she give him instructions or visit or speak to him while he was in prison, calling his allegations “bare,” “noise,” and without proof.
Madriaga has been detained since 2023 on a pending kidnapping case. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)