Ramil Madriaga, a self-confessed former aide and the alleged bagman of Vice President Sara Duterte, claimed that former President Rodrigo Duterte preferred his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, to succeed him in politics rather than his sons.
During impeachment proceedings before the House Committee on Justice on Tuesday, April 14, Madriaga detailed his purported ties with the Duterte family and his involvement in political matters in Davao City.
Madriaga said he was first introduced to Duterte by former Parañaque Representative Roilo Golez between late 2015 and 2016, when the latter supported Duterte’s presidential bid.
He claimed he was later assigned as a counterintelligence agent for the National Security Council (NSC), though he said he was not paid through official government channels.
He also alleged that he was tasked by the former president to assist in political activities linked to Vice President Duterte, including her mayoral campaigns in Davao City.
In his testimony, Madriaga said that in 2018, Duterte called Vice President Sara Duterte to his residence in Bangkal, Davao City, to discuss local political plans. During that meeting, Madriaga claimed Duterte personally introduced him to Sara Duterte and told him, “Ikaw na bahala kay Inday,” referring to her by her nickname.
"Sometime in 2018, [FPRRD] asked Sara to go to his home in Taal St., Bangkal, Davao City, to discuss the upcoming local elections in Davao City, where Sara was going to run for re-election as Mayor. During this meeting, PRRD introduced me to Sara and told me, "Ram, ikaw na bahala kay Inday," Madriaga said.
He added that since then, he had frequent communication with VP Sara, mostly through phone calls on her instruction to minimize written messages.
"Since then, I have frequently met and discussed with Sara regarding various matters. However, she gave me strict instructions that all conversations should be done, as much as possible, by call, and minimize text messages," he said.
Madriaga further alleged that the former president asked him to profile individuals connected to the vice president, whom he described as the former president’s preferred child in politics over his sons—Davao Representative Paolo Duterte, whom he allegedly referred to as “crazy,” and Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte, whom he allegedly called “gay.”
“Furthermore, [FPRRD] also asked me to profile individuals associated with Sara because she is his favorite among his children. [FPRRD] wanted Sara in politics instead of Paolo Duterte (‘Pulong’) and Sebastian Duterte (‘Baste’), who he characterized as ‘baliw’ and ‘bading’, respectively,” Madriaga added.
Madriaga also alleged that he was instructed to help support VP Duterte’s political campaigns, including her 2019 mayoral run and her 2022 national bid, where she eventually ran for vice president.
He further claimed he was tasked with delivering duffel bags containing cash on several occasions, though no additional details or evidence were immediately presented in open session.
