By Ade S. Fajardo
A detainee at Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City, has come out with a sworn statement claiming that he is a founding member of the Inday Sara Duterte Is My President (ISIP), which was formed in 2020 in preparation for the 2022 presidential elections.
Ramil Madriaga has submitted an affidavit to the Ombudsman alleging that ISIP was funded by drug dealers and Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs).
The movement was purportedly formed together with the vice president’s former classmates at the San Sebastian College of Law.
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Madriaga is in prison while a kidnapping charge against him is being tried.
He recounts that sometime in December 2022, he delivered a duffel bag filled with cash to an errand boy sent by a municipal mayor from Laguna.
He further claims that he made a similar delivery to a comedy bar in Quezon City, said to be a favorite hangout for alumni of San Sebastian College of Law.
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Madriaga adds that he drove a car to the Ombudsman compound in Quezon City. The car allegedly contained valuable cargo — a duffel bag of money. He parked the car, placed the key on top of the left front tire, and left.
Each of the bags supposedly contained P33 million to P35 million.
On Sara Duterte’s instruction, Madriaga said he twice delivered money to a certain Santiago family in a gated subdivision in Novaliches, Quezon City.
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Madriaga said he helped form the Vice President Security and Protection Group when the UniTeam won the 2022 national elections.
This is when he allegedly got acquainted with VPSPG head Colonel Raymund Dante Lachica and Colonel Dennis Nolasco, a former commandant of the Presidential Security Group Training School.
These personalities were mentioned in congressional hearings pointing to Mary Grace Piattos and other fictitious persons as recipients of intelligence funds from the Office of the Vice President.
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On one occasion, Madriaga was reportedly ordered by Nolasco to drive a car carrying around P80 million to the parking lot of a Mandaluyong mall. After which, he saw the car being retrieved by the wife of an Ombudsman prosecutor.
Quite significantly, Madriaga also claims that he was instructed by Manases Carpio, Sara Duterte’s husband, to work for the release of magnetic lifters purportedly containing “shabu” at the Bureau of Customs.
These magnetic lifters became controversial during the Duterte regime.
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The illegal drugs contained in these lifters were purportedly valued hundreds of millions of pesos.
The law concerning Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth requires valuation not only of the assets of the public official but also that of their spouse. The bank secrecy act might however pose some challenges.
The husband’s assets are a point of vulnerability. With these allegations officially filed with the Ombudsman, what actions will government initiate against the bank assets of the vice-presidential spouse and thus bring to light the extent of the conjugal wealth?/WDJ