Madriaga to disclose hitmen shortly, says DILG’s Remulla

Former military agent Ramil Madriaga answers questions from lawmakers during his appearance at the House Committee on Justice hearing on the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte on April 14, 2026. (Photo by Ver Noveno)

Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla said on Thursday that Ramil Madriaga, a self-proclaimed bagman of Vice President Sara Duterte, had named some contracted hitmen.

Meanwhile, House Committee on Public Accounts chairman Rep. Terry Ridon of Bicol Saro party-list has said probable cause for impeachment against the Vice President might have been established as early as the first clarificatory hearing by the House Committee on Justice.

In another development, Deputy Speaker and La Union Rep. Paolo Ortega V urged Duterte to return the P73.287 million in confidential expenses disallowed by the Commission on Audit (COA), saying this would demonstrate accountability expected of a public servant.

During a televised interview on GMA 7’s Unang Hirit show, Remulla said he believed that Madriaga already gave the names of alleged hitmen that will be publicly disclosed shortly.

“It was an option from the very start. In fact, he has already been named as a contracted hitman. I think it will come out in the future testimonies, it will come out,” Remulla said.

Madriaga, in a supplemental affidavit read during the House justice panel’s impeachment hearing against the Vice President, accused former President Rodrigo Duterte of plotting the assassination of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. should he (Marcos) failed to step down by 2025 to give way for Sara’s presidency pursuant to an alleged term-sharing agreement.

Remulla also said that there was always a threat to President Marcos.

“There is always a credible threat against the President. It will never disappear, whether it comes from that camp or any other camp. The President is the most protected person in the Philippines, precisely because of the nature of his job,” he added.

Meanwhile, Col. Raymund Dante Lachica, former head of the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group (VPSPG), described Madriaga’s allegations as “glaring” with inconsistencies.

Lachica said Madriaga gave at least three versions of his claims: his original affidavit, a supplemental affidavit, and his most recent testimony.

Former Ombudsman Samuel Martires denied that he received money from the Duterte family through Madriaga.

“If the public’s perception that I am close to former President Rodrigo Duterte is true, then I ask a simple question: why would the former President send me money through a nonentity, when he can easily summon me and give it to me directly? That is not how people who are truly close deal with each other. If there is real access, there is no need for an intermediary,” Martires said in a statement.

“I ask the same in relation to Vice President Sara Duterte. Why would she send me money through an insignificant person when she does not even know me personally? There is no relationship between us. What business does she have with me that would justify sending any amount of money? The allegation does not answer this because it cannot,” he added.

The former Ombudsman said Madriaga’s statement was “inconsistent” with a previous sworn affidavit he executed in 2025.

“You know, finding of probable cause for impeachment on the basis of confidential funds misuse, I think it has been established during Tuesday’s hearing,” Ridon, a lawyer and member of the House Committee on Justice, told newsmen.

Citing five grounds, Ridon said among the strongest pieces of evidence is the Commission on Audit’s (COA) final decision upholding its notice of disallowance on P73 million in confidential funds spent by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) in December 2022.

Under the ruling, Duterte and two other OVP officials named in the decision would be required to return the P73 million to the national treasury.

The OVP also continues to face notices of disallowance covering the utilization of confidential funds for the first three quarters of 2023.

Ortega said the confidential fund issue has gone beyond paperwork and appeals, and now calls for a clear act of responsibility.

“If VP Sara really wants to show her accountability as a public servant, it would be better to just return the funds returned by the COA. She should be held accountable for the public money entrusted to her and acknowledge where the process went wrong,” he said. — Vince Lopez & Maricel Cruz