Madriaga could be a state witness in VP Sara Duterte impeachment case —legal expert

Ramil Madriaga, a former aide and alleged bagman of Vice President Sara Duterte, could be a state witness in the latter’s impeachment case since he took part in the alleged misuse of public funds, a constitutional law expert said Sunday.

This can be the case if graft charges will be filed against Duterte, Atty. Domingo Egon Cayosa, former Integrated Bar of the Philippines national president, told Super Radyo dzBB.

“'Yung sinasabi o allegation ng impeachment complaint na illegal paggamit ng intelligence funds, kasabwat siya du'n kasi nga siya nga 'yung taga-deliver nga eh. Pero du'n, sa kasong 'yan, kung merong ihahain, puwedeng maging state witness at, 'pag ma-convince ang korte, puwedeng matanggal siya sa graft case,” Cayosa said.

(The impeachment complaint alleges illegal use of intelligence funds, and he is considered an accomplice there because he was the one delivering them. However, in that case, if charges are filed, he could become a state witness and, if the court is convinced, he could be removed from the graft case.)

READ: Who is Ramil Madriaga?

Cayosa explained that, unlike contractors Curlee and Sarah Discaya, who managed the anomalous flood control projects, Madriaga is not the main actor in the impeachment case, which means he may qualify to become a state witness.

“Doon sa kaso ng mag-asawang Discaya, eh talagang doon sa mga projects na hawak nila, nasa gitna sila. They are major participants. They are the most guilty kumbaga. Kasi without them, hindi naman mangyayari ‘yung mga anomalya na ‘yun,” Cayosa said.

(In the case of the Discaya couple, in the projects they handled, they were really in it. They are major participants. They are the most guilty, so to speak. Without them, those anomalies would not have happened.)

“Dito kasi doon sa mga requirements ng state witness, eh hindi sila (Discayas) nag-qualify. Ito kasing si Madriaga, hindi naman talaga siya ‘yung talagang main actor dito, eh. Taga-deliver lang siya, eh. Taga-withdraw, taga-deliver. Maaaring maging state witness siya,” he added.

(Under the requirements for becoming a state witness, the Discayas do not qualify. Madriaga, on the other hand, is not really the main actor in this case. He was just the one withdrawing and delivering the funds. Because of that, he may qualify to become a state witness.)

In December 2025, the Ombudsman filed malversation and corruption charges against Sarah Discaya and Maria Roma Angeline Rimando of St. Timothy Construction, and Department of Public Works and Highways-Davao Occidental officials over a P96.5-million ghost flood control project in the province.

P125M delivered in 24 hours

During the House Committee on Justice impeachment hearing last April 14, Madriaga claimed that he delivered P125 million of Duterte's confidential funds to three locations in 24 hours upon her instruction.

“In the morning of December 20, 2022, Sara called me and she said, 'Sir Ram, please coordinate with Colonel Nolasco. Meron tayong deliver sa (We have deliveries to) San Pablo, Laguna, sa Nightstrip [restaurant in Quezon City], at sa (and) Ombudsman. Bawi tayo sa kanila (We'll make it up to them).' Later, I received a text message from her indicating the places of delivery, which include San Pablo, Laguna, Nightstrip, and Office of the Ombudsman and the corresponding contact numbers,” relayed Madriaga.

“Later that morning, Colonel Nolasco sent me a text message directing me to go to the DepEd Central Office in Pasig City beside Ultra at around 1:30 p.m for a 'transport.' Transport is short-hand for delivery or transportation of large sums of money between Colonel Nolasco and me, upon the instructions of Sara,” Madriaga added.

Duterte’s legal counsel Atty. Salvador Paolo Panelo Jr. however refuted this allegation, saying that it has no factual basis.

Panelo said Madriaga failed to present documentary proof to support his claims, noting that the alleged transactions were described as cash-based.

During the 2024 budget deliberation of the Commission on Audit in September 2023, the public was first made aware that the Office of the Vice President spent P125 million of its confidential funds in 11 days.

One impeachment allegation against Duterte is the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds, including the P125 million allocated to her office in 2022.

The House of Representatives invited Duterte to appear in the scheduled impeachment hearings on March 25, April 14, April 22 and April 29. 

However, she was a no-show in the March 25 and April 14 hearings.

READ: TIMELINE: Impeachment proceedings vs. Vice President Sara Duterte

—KG, GMA News