An attempt to harm detained witness Ramil Madriaga inside a jail facility in Taguig City has been confirmed by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
In a television interview, NBI Director Melvin Matibag said investigators were dispatched after reports surfaced that Madriaga had been confronted by another detainee inside the facility operated by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.
Madriaga drew national attention in December 2025 after alleging that drug syndicates and Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators helped fund Duterte’s 2022 campaign through the group “Inday Sara Duterte is My President (ISIP) Pilipinas.”
He also submitted an affidavit to the Office of the Ombudsman claiming he delivered large sums of money to several individuals allegedly on Duterte’s instructions.
The affidavit was later cited in impeachment complaints filed against the vice president in the House of Representatives of the Philippines.
Amid the controversy surrounding his claims, authorities confirmed that Madriaga was recently involved in a troubling encounter with another inmate.
“Ang ginawa namin dyan, nagpadala kami ng team to investigate. Nakita doon na meron talagang attempt to harm him (What we did was send a team to investigate. They found that there was indeed an attempt to harm him),” Mating said.
According to the NBI chief, investigators determined that Madriaga had been pushed toward a corner during the incident.
“He was pushed to the corner. Ang nakakapagtaka po dito, itong inmate na ito kalilipat lang…galing ng Pasay, nilipat doon. On the same day, meron siyang incident (What’s puzzling here is that the inmate had just been transferred… from Pasay to that facility. On the same day, the incident happened),” he said.
Authorities quickly identified the inmate involved and placed him under stricter monitoring while the investigation continues.
“Tinawag namin si Madriaga, tinawag din namin yung na-identify na nag-harm. Nagtugma yung storya nila (We called in Madriaga and also the detainee identified as the one who harmed him. Their accounts matched),” Matibag added.
Madriaga’s lawyer, Raymond Palad, earlier said his client had been confronted by another detainee on 3 March at the Annex 2 facility, prompting authorities to reassess security arrangements.
The BJMP initially described the encounter as a “minor misunderstanding” and said no violence occurred.
Meanwhile, additional safeguards were later put in place, including the deployment of an NBI officer to monitor the situation.