In a testimony before the House Committee on Justice, Ramil Madriaga provided details about the alleged involvement of Atty. Manases “Mans” Carpio, the husband of Vice President Sara Duterte, in an attempt to facilitate the release of confiscated items that later turned out to contain illegal drugs.
Madriaga recounted the events, stating that sometime in 2017 or 2018, former President Rodrigo Duterte had instructed him to assist Atty. Manscarpio regarding an issue with the Bureau of Customs.
"During our conversation, he asked me to assist in facilitating the release of what he called construction equipment, which was flagged and confiscated by the Bureau of Customs," Madriaga said..
According to the affidavit, Atty. Manscarpio provided Madriaga with a contact—a female lawyer—to help resolve the matter. After meeting with the female lawyer at the Bureau of Customs, Madriaga learned that the "construction equipment" in question were actually magnetic lifters.
Upon investigation, it was revealed that the lifters contained at least 500 kilograms of shabu, worth an estimated P4.3 billion.
Madriaga explained, "I was told that the magnetic lifters contained at least 500 kilograms of shabu, worth approximately P4.3 billion."
The female lawyer allegedly informed Madriaga that releasing the lifters would be challenging due to the sensitive nature of the case.
"I reported this to Atty. Mans, and we met again in the same spot in BGC, Taguig City. This was the last time we met regarding the issue," Madriaga added.