Madriaga links VP Sara's spouse Mans Carpio to shabu in magnetic lifters

Ramil Madriaga, who identified himself as a former close aide of Vice President Sara Duterte in the impeachment hearings, linked the official's husband, Atty. Manases "Mans" Carpio, to the magnetic lifters that allegedly contained hundreds of kilograms of shabu, worth billions of pesos, and were seized by the Bureau of Customs in 2018.

Madriaga, in his supplemental affidavit, said that it was the Vice President's father, then-President Rodrigo Duterte, who ordered him to help Carpio regarding a shipment that had to go through the BOC.

“Thereafter, Attorney Mans called me. We later decided to meet in front of a coffee shop in Burgos Circle in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City. During our conversation, he asked me to assist in facilitating the release of what he called a construction equipment, which was flagged and confiscated by the BOC,” Madriaga said.

GMA News Online is seeking comment from Carpio and will publish it as soon as it is available.

The Vice President has denied that she has any personal relationship with Madriaga. She said Madriaga was never her aide, friend, or employee. 

Duterte in March filed perjury charges against Madriaga after he executed an affidavit which said Duterte's campaign received money from drug dealers and Philippine offshore gaming operators.

Madriaga said Carpio gave him a contact person, a female lawyer, to iron out the concerned shipment, and that he went on to meet that said female lawyer to discuss the release of the construction equipment.

Madriaga said he later learned that the construction equipment was actually magnetic lifters, and that the same were confiscated because they contained a large amount of shabu.

“The female lawyer informed me that it was difficult to release the same because it was a ‘hot item.’ I reported this to Attorney Mans, and we met again in the same spot in BGC, Taguig City. This was the last time we met regarding this issue,” Madriaga said.

“Later, I learned that the contents of the magnetic lifters, at least 500 kilograms of shabu worth P4.3 billion, were mysteriously missing,” he added.

The BOC in August 2018 intercepted a shipment of nearly 500 kilograms of suspected shabu inside magnetic lifters at the Port of Manila after receiving information from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Philippine National Police.

The shipment is worth nearly P4.3 billion per PDEA's estimate.

Documents showed the shipment was declared as door frames for construction, but was left unclaimed after 30 days. It was declared abandoned, and when opened, the cargo revealed a couple of magnetic lifters inside.

Bomb-sniffing dogs had a hard time identifying the contents of the magnetic lifters, forcing inspectors to drill a hole in one of the lifters, revealing the shabu shipment.

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency would later report that it found magnetic lifters in Cavite, which were said to have contained hundreds of kilos of shabu and were worth billions of pesos.

Then-Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña said there were no traces of shabu in the lifters found in Cavite. 

Madriaga also admitted to acting as a dummy for the then-President in multimillion-dollar bank deposits.

“Despite only earning P100,000 to P150,000 from my services to PRRD (former President Duterte), millions of pesos went through bank accounts opened for me by close associates of PRRD. I admit that during PRRD’s term as President, I served as a dummy for the transfer of large amounts of money,” he added.

Madriaga said the accounts in multiple banks in Makati, Pasig, and Pampanga were used for transactions described to him as “intelligence operations” and laundering.

He, however, said he was not the one who went to the banks to open these accounts.

“I have never personally opened these accounts or appeared before the said banks to process any application in relation thereto. These were opened by people close to former President Duterte, who informed me that money will be transferred to these accounts for ‘intelligence operations’ and for laundering,” Madriaga said.

“I was later instructed to sign entire checkbooks where the amounts and payees are left blank. I agreed to do this because, at the time, I had complete trust in PRRD and his close associates,” he added.

Madriaga detailed multiple large cash movements, including three separate withdrawals of P100 million each from a bank inside a mall in Lubao, Pampanga, which he said were delivered to Malacañang.

He cited the attachments to his affidavit, which include two Landbank manager’s checks issued under his name totaling P89 million, which he said were intended for delivery to a safehouse in Eastwood, Quezon City.

GMA News Online is getting comment from the Duterte camp and will publish it as soon as it is available. –NB, GMA News