LIVE UPDATES: VP Sara Duterte impeachment hearing (April 14, 2026)

Ramil Madriaga, a confessed bagman of Vice President Sara Duterte, on Tuesday admitted serving as a "dummy" for bank transactions during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

Madriaga made the remarks during the House Justice Committee hearing on the impeachment case against the Vice President.

In his supplemental affidavit, Madriaga said that despite only earning P100,000 to P150,0000 for his services, millions of pesos went through his bank accounts, which were allegedly opened under his name by the former President's "close associates."

"I admit that during PRRD's term as President, I served as a dummy for the transfer of large amounts of money. These transfers were made through bank accounts that were opened under my name," he said.

"However, I have never personally opened these accounts or appeared before the said banks to process any application in relation thereto," Madriaga said in his supplemental affidavit.

He added: "These were opened by people close to PRRD who informed me that money will be transferred to these accounts for 'intelligence operations' and for laundering. 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." 

The bank accounts included: 

• China Bank Legazpi Village Makati City
• China Bank Main, Makati City
• China Bank near the fire station in Ayala Makati City
• PNB Makati Metropolitan Avenue Branch, Makati City
• an unknown bank in Pasig City
• an unknown bank in a mall in Lubao, Pampanga

Madriaga signed a waiver allowing the House of Representatives to examine these bank accounts.

Also during Tuesday's hearing, Madriaga said he delivered P125 million of the Vice President's confidential funds to three locations in 24 hours upon her instruction. 

He also accused the Duterte patriarch of allegedly plotting an assassination—or, if not, a coup—against President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. should the latter fail to step down by 2025.  — VDV, GMA News

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.

Ramil Madriaga, who identified himself as a former aide and alleged bagman of Vice President Sara Duterte, on Tuesday signed a waiver allowing the House of Representatives to examine the bank accounts cited in his supplemental affidavit. 

Madriaga signed the bank secrecy waiver during the House justice committee’s hearing on the impeachment complaint against Duterte.  It was his first appearance in the proceedings.

Ramil Madriaga, who identified himself as a former aide of Vice President Sara Duterte, claimed that he delivered P125 million of her confidential funds to three locations in 24 hours upon her instruction.

Madriaga made the allegation during the House justice panel impeachment hearing against the Vice President in a supplemental affidavit submitted and narrated before the lawmakers.

“In the morning of December 20, 2022, Sara called me and she said, 'Sir Ram, please coordinate with Colonel Nolasco. Meron tayong deliver sa San Pablo, Laguna, sa Nightstrip [restaurant in Quezon City], at sa Ombudsman. Bawi tayo sa kanila.' 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 Col. Nolasco and me, upon the instructions of Sara,” Madriaga added.

Nolasco is Lt. Col. Dennis Nolasco of the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group.

Madriaga said they reached the DepEd compound in Pasig around past 3:00 or 4:00 p.m using two government vehicles with red plates and that they were met by Nolasco and DepEd Special Disbursement Officer (SDO) Gina Acosta.

Subsequently, four large dark bags were unloaded from vehicles: three large dark bags and one lighter-colored and relatively smaller bag.

Subsequently, four large dark bags were unloaded from vehicles: three large dark bags and one lighter-colored and relatively smaller bag.

Madriaga, quoting Nolasco, said each bag contained around P30 million to P35 million.

Detainee Ramil Madriaga, a confessed bagman for Vice President Sara Duterte, accused former President Rodrigo Duterte of allegedly plotting an assassination—or, if not, a coup—against President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. should he fail to step down by 2025.

Madriaga made the claim in a supplemental affidavit submitted before the House justice panel during the impeachment proceedings against the Vice President.

He alleged that Marcos and the Duterte camp had agreed during a November 2021 meeting—before the 2022 presidential elections—that Marcos would step down in 2025 to pave the way for a Sara Duterte presidency.

The House justice committee resumed Tuesday its hearing on the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte. 

Ramil Madriaga, who identified himself as a former aide and alleged bagman of Duterte, arrived at the House of Representatives for the first time to testify in the proceedings.

Present in the hearing are Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Charlito Martin Mendoza, Commission on Audit (COA) State Auditor V Atty. Gloria Camora, and lawyer Cynthia Viñas-Pantonal, who were subpoenaed by the House committee last week. 

Also in attendance are Duterte's legal counsel Atty Michael Poa, Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano, NBI Director Atty. Melvin Matibag, PSA Assistant National Statistician Engr. Marizza Grande.

Complainants Father Joel Saballa and Atty Nathaniel Cabrera also attended the hearing.

Vice President Sara Duterte will not be attending the House justice panel committee impeachment proceedings against her on Tuesday, her counsel Atty. Michael Poa said.

“I don’t think so,” Poa said as he was asked if Duterte or any of her representatives will attend today’s House justice panel proceedings.

“I think they already told the committee beforehand that they will not be attending,” he explained. 

Ramil Madriaga, who identified himself as a former aide of Duterte, arrived at the House of Representatives on earlier to testify in her impeachment proceedings. He is expected to face the House Committee on Justice after a subpoena was issued to him for clarifications in connection with the impeachment hearing against Duterte. 

The House Committee on Justice will begin the hearing on Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment complaints at 10 a.m. today.

—GMA News

The camp of Vice President Sara Duterte on Tuesday rejected the allegations by Ramil Madriaga, who identified himself as her former aide and supposed bagman, calling his statements “pure fiction” and lacking evidence.

In a statement, Duterte’s legal counsel Salvador Paolo Panelo Jr. said Madriaga’s claims of a supposed secret term-sharing agreement, a planned ouster, and assassination plots against President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. were “not even remotely believable.”

“His allegations of a secret term-sharing agreement, planned ouster, and assassination plots against PBBM are pure fiction, and not even remotely believable,” Panelo said.

“If the need arises, we will be happy to refute each delusional claim point by point with evidence — something that has eluded all his allegations, past and present,” he added.

Former president Rodrigo Duterte allegedly had plans to remove Marcos from his post in 2025 to give the position to his daughter Sara Duterte, according to the handwritten letter of Madriaga.

GMA News acquired the letter from a reliable source from Madriaga’s camp, which has his signature and was dated April 11, 2026, according to a report by Tina Panganiban Perez on 24 Oras on Monday.

This was ahead of the appearance of Madriaga before the House Committee on Justice for the vice president’s impeachment proceedings on Tuesday. Madriaga arrived at the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Quezon City before 7 a.m.

“This is precisely what I meant when I said that the more Ramil Madriaga speaks, the better it becomes for Vice President Sara Duterte’s defense,” Panelo said.

“I have repeatedly said that making Madriaga testify would just reveal his lack of credibility and expose his lies. He has now succeeded in doing exactly that even before uttering a single word under oath in the House Justice Committee,” he added. —Joviland Rita/KG, GMA News

Ramil Madriaga, who identified himself as a former aide and alleged bagman of Vice President Sara Duterte, arrived at the House of Representatives on Tuesday to testify in her impeachment proceedings.

According to a report of GMA News’ Bam Alegre on Unang Balita, Madriaga reached the Batasang Pambansa Complex before 7 a.m.

It was less than an hour after departing from his detention center in Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City around 6 a.m.

He was escorted by a convoy composed of personnel from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), and House security.

Madriaga was then brought to the People's Center at the House of Representatives under heavy guard.

He entered, not through the main lobby, but through the emergency exit.

Madriaga is expected to face the House Committee on Justice after a subpoena was issued to him for clarifications in connection with the impeachment hearing against Duterte. —with a report from Tina Panganiban-Perez/Joviland Rita/KG, GMA News