Sara Duterte files complaint vs Madriaga who tagged her in POGO, confidential funds mess

MANILA, Philippines – Vice President Sara Duterte filed a perjury complaint against a former intelligence officer who accused her in an affidavit of being involved in the confidential funds and Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO).

Duterte filed the complaint against Ramil Madriaga with the Taguig City Prosecutor’s Office on Wednesday, March 4.

Under the Revised Penal Code, perjury is filed against people who made “untruthful statements and not being included in the provisions of the next preceding articles, shall testify under oath, or make an affidavit, upon any material matter before a competent person authorized to administer an oath in cases in which the law so requires.”

The Vice President denied all of the allegations thrown at her by Madriaga, adding that the former intelligence officer’s affidavit was full of lies.

“I have no personal or professional relationship with Madriaga. In fact, prior to the dissemination of the Madriaga Affidavit, had no recollection of knowing, meeting, or interacting with Madriaga,” Duterte said.

In a statement, Madriaga’s camp said the former intelligence officer, who is currently detained under the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology over a kidnapping case, is standing “firmly by the truthfulness” of his affidavit.

“We also note the circumstances and timing of this complaint. The affidavit was executed and notarized on November 29, 2025 and was submitted in connection with the impeachment proceedings. The question naturally arises: why only now? The public is entitled to consider whether this complaint is a genuine legal action or a reaction to sworn testimony that raised serious issues,” Madriaga’s camp said.

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Who is Ramil Madriaga and what’s behind his accusations vs Sara Duterte?

In his December 2025 affidavit, Madriaga claimed that he delivered millions of money and had worked with two officers connected to Duterte: Colonel Dennis Nolasco (Madriaga’s student at the Presidential Security Group) and Colonel Raymund Lachica (former head of the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group).

Nolasco and Lachica’s name surfaced at the height of the House of Representatives’ investigation into the Vice President’s hundreds of millions of confidential funds allotted in 2022 and 2023 to the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education amounting to P612.5 million in total.

Madriaga also claimed that ISIP Pilipinas (his former group) and its parallel groups’ funding allegedly came from POGOs and drug dealers. He claimed he was able to identify these people during his cash pick-ups in hotels in Quezon City and Taguig City. – Rappler.com