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Composite image: Alleged bagman Ramil Madriaga and Vice President Sara Duterte
The STAR, file / Philstar.com composite
MANILA, Philippines — Plans to unseat President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in favor of Vice President Sara Duterte were revealed by the vice president’s alleged bagman.
In a written letter on Monday, April 13, Madriaga detailed what he described as “the strategic assumptions of VP Sara Duterte and the tragedy of BBM’s (Bong Bong Marcos’) presidency.”
According to Madriaga, the current administration was intended to be a "political tool" for former president Rodrigo Duterte to maintain control over the Philippine government.
“This pronouncement of FPRRD became clear to me after VP Sara took her oath as VP. FPRRD discussed with me and other retired generals all his plans of unseating BBM, by all means, come 2025 so Sara can assume the presidency untimely but still can run for the presidency come 2028 national election,” Madriaga wrote.
According to Madriaga, the plan was set in motion as early as 2021. He claimed that a deal was struck to ensure Sara ran as vice president rather than for the top post, with the understanding that Marcos would step down by 2025.
“FPRRD told me that BBM already knows of him stepping down by the year 2025 and yield his post to VP Sara,” Madriaga wrote.
The document suggests a legal loophole was the primary motivator: by assuming the presidency in 2025, Duterte would serve less than four years of the remaining term, theoretically keeping her eligible to run for a full six-year term in the 2028 national elections.
Allegations of sabotage and 'extraordinary measures.’ According to Madriaga, there are "extraordinary measures" to be taken if Marcos refuses to relinquish his post.
He alleged a multi-pronged strategy to destabilize the current administration, including:
- Internal sabotage: Using "BBM’s men" to initiate corruption scandals that could trigger impeachment.
- Civil unrest: Orchestrating mass resignations of government officials, religious leaders and acts of civil disobedience.
- Violent Intervention: Mentions of "assassination by poisoning" and a planned assault on Malacañang Palace involving retired military and police officers, Mindanao mercenaries and "underworld criminal gangs."
"In the event that BBM refused to honor the agreement and opted not to relinquish his post as President, extraordinary measures of overthrowing BBM should be considered, like impeachment, assassination by poisoning, or any other means, and by the use of People Power," Madriaga said.
Role in VP security unit. Madriaga, who identified himself as an instructor at the Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo Training School, claimed that he advised the creation of the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group (VPSPG).
He alleged the unit was designed to be "distinct and independent" from the Presidential Security Group to serve as a secure base for the Vice President during a transition of power.
“VP Sara is safe and secured at Camp Emilio Aguinaldo where her VPSPG is based and encamped waiting to take her oath as the President of the Republic of the Philippines.”
In response, lawyer Salvador Panelo, counsel for Sara, called Madriaga’s claims “pure fiction” that are “not even remotely reliable.”
“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,” Panelo said in a statement.
“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.
Madriaga, who is the alleged bagman of Sara Duterte, is set to face the House Committee on Justice at the hearing for the impeachment complaints against the vice president on April 14.
Aside from the alleged malversation of confidential funds, one of the included accusations against Duterte is her alleged death threats against Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and House Speaker Martin Romualdez in 2024.
