De Lima seeks proof from Madriaga linking VP Duterte to drugs, POGO funds

House Deputy Minority Leader Leila de Lima said on Monday she will demand concrete proof from Ramil Madriaga, the self-styled “bagman” who has accused Vice President Sara Duterte of links to illegal drugs and Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO).

De Lima said she was validating Madriaga’s affidavit and conducting a background check, noting that he was convicted of kidnapping in 1997 and arrested again in 2023, also on kidnapping charges that are pending.

Madriaga’s earlier conviction was reversed by the Supreme Court.

While acknowledging concerns over Madriaga’s credibility, De Lima said his alleged ties to the Dutertes were “satisfactorily established,” citing photographs showing him with members of the family.

“In the case, there was a prima facie showing that he had connections to the Dutertes. Through his lawyer, he presented photos showing him with them. As to the alleged orders and calls, he said he has proof. I told him I want to see them first before I decide whether to believe him,” De Lima said.

Madriaga earlier sought De Lima’s help regarding his kidnapping case.

In a letter dated November 17 and coursed through his lawyer, Madriaga claimed he was wrongfully detained due to a land-grabbing complaint he filed against former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque.

This was followed by his lawyer furnishing De Lima with an affidavit accusing the Vice President of receiving campaign funds from illegal drugs and POGOs.

In the affidavit, Madriaga alleged that Duterte’s 2022 vice presidential campaign was financed with illicit money funneled through the Inday Sara Duterte Is My President (ISIP) movement, which he claimed to have formed in 2020.

He also alleged that he was ordered to deliver large sums of cash from 2020 to 2022.

He also linked Col. Dennis Nolasco and Col. Raymund Dante Lachica, both of the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group, to the alleged cash deliveries.

Their names previously surfaced during a House inquiry into Duterte’s P612.5-million confidential funds, when former Office of the Vice President disbursing officers Gina Acosta and Edward Fajarda testified that they handed over duffel bags of cash to the two officers on Duterte’s orders.

De Lima described Madriaga’s claims as “grave and serious,” but stressed that they will not stand without solid evidence.

“Show me proof that someone was actually ordering you or calling you. Claims involving the delivery of huge amounts of cash cannot be taken lightly,” she said.

She added that the allegations nonetheless warrant a response from the Vice President due to their seriousness.

The Duterte camp has yet to issue a statement. Madriaga’s lawyer, Raymund Palad, claimed Duterte visited Madriaga in detention days before the affidavit was executed.