Detainee‑turned‑impeachment witness Ramil Madriaga, in a supplementary affidavit, accused Vice President Sara Duterte and her camp of plotting destabilization moves to oust President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. midway through his term.
Madriaga disclosed these claims on Tuesday, April 14, during the resumption of the House Committee on Justice’s impeachment hearings against Vice President Duterte.
Escorted under heavy guard from the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology in Taguig City, Madriaga took his oath before reading his 24-page affidavit in full.
He recounted that in November 2021, then-President Rodrigo Duterte told him that Marcos would run for president with Sara Duterte as his running mate.
“Sometime in November 2021. PRRD (President Rodrigo Roa Duterte) mentioned to me that Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. (“BBM”) will run for President while Sara will serve as his running mate. PRRD added that a few months ago, BBM and Sen. Imee Marcos visited him to discuss a possible alliance in the 2022 National Elections. During this meeting, BBM was able to convince PRRD to have Sara as BBM’s Vice-President,” he said.
“However, they also agreed that by 2025, BBM will voluntarily step down to give way for a Sara presidency,” noted Madriaga.
“After Sara took her oath as Vice-President, PRRD had a discussion with retired generals of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) where I was also present regarding all possible scenarios for unseating BBM by 2025 in case he reneges on his promise,” the witness added.
He claimed that the general objective was to ensure that Marcos will onlv serve less than four years of his term as President, “so that Sara, upon assumption to the presidency, will still be eligible for the presidency in 2028”.
Madriga continued: “I remember that one of the plans considered was to sabotage BBM’s administration by using some of BBM’s own men (either recommended by PRRD for appointment or allied with the Duterte’s) to reveal supposed corruption issues that will serve as a precursor for an impeachment complaint.”
Assassination
According to him, assassination was one of the methods eyed in fulfilling their plans.
“In the event that BBM will not voluntarily step down or hand over the presidency to Sara, extraordinary measures of overthrowing BBM will be considered which include assassination, mass resignation of government officials, civil disobedience, and even an armed assault of Malacañang Palace.”
“It was also considered by PRRD to arrange assassinations or armed hits of several government officials in order to cause massive civil unrest. The resulting civil unrest will be used as basis to organize a group of military officers to stage a coup,” Madriaga said.
The witness told the justice panel that among his assignments was “to recruit civil groups, school clubs, fraternities, criminal groups, and syndicates.”
President Marcos succeeded PRRD in Malacañang on June 30, 2022. Vice President Duterte is the latter’s eldest daughter.
President Marcos and Vice President Duterte had a falling out in 2024, leading to her resignation that June as then-Department of Education (DepEd) secretary. (Ellson Quismorio)
