By Jose Cielito Reganit | Philippine News Agency
Ramil Madriaga’s waiver of his rights under bank secrecy laws may turn him into one of the most important witnesses if the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte reaches the Senate, Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega V of La Union said Saturday.
In a statement, Ortega, one of the endorsers of the 4th impeachment complaint, said Madriaga’s willingness to open up his own bank accounts shifts him from being a witness with allegations to a witness inviting scrutiny of his own financial trail.
“Napaka-credible ng witness na walang itinatago. The fact na kaya at willing si Mr. Madriaga na mag-tell all at mag-open all, ibig sabihin ay kaya niyang patunayan ang lahat ng kanyang sinasabi. Kusa na siyang nagpapasilip ng kanyang mga bank accounts, and this is a really good test of his credibility,” he said.
The House of Representatives leader said the significance of the waiver is that it may allow investigators and prosecutors to cross-check against the claims he has made under oath.
Ortega said the waiver matters even more because bank secrecy has long been one of the hardest walls to breach when allegations involve hidden transactions, proxies, and indirect movement of funds.
“Natural lang na ang susunod na tanong ay: nasaan ang patunay nito? Doon nagiging mahalaga ang waiver, dahil puwede nang sundan hindi lang ang tao kundi pati ang daloy ng pera,” he said.
Madriaga told the House Committee on Justice on April 14 that during the Duterte administration, he allegedly served as a financial “dummy” in the movement of large sums of money through bank accounts opened under his name by people close to the former president.
In his supplemental affidavit, Madriaga claimed he never personally opened those accounts or appeared before the banks, saying the accounts were supposedly used for transfers tied to “intelligence operations” and laundering.
Madriaga also claimed that Duterte instructed him on three occasions to pick up P100 million from a bank inside a mall in Lubao, Pampanga for delivery to Malacañang, and that two Landbank manager’s checks were later issued in his name for delivery to a safehouse in Eastwood, Quezon City.
“So, malalaman natin kung nagsasabi si Madriaga ng totoo. Makikita natin ang bank records, makikita natin ang paper trail, makikita natin kung sino at saan idineposito. We will see a bigger picture than just mere allegations,” Ortega said.
Filling the ‘missing link’ in confidential funds trail
Meanwhile, Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua said Madriaga’s affidavits and testimony help fill a critical “missing link” in the flow of confidential funds tied to Vice President Duterte, particularly on what happened after the money left government custody.
Chua, chair of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, said earlier that House inquiries hit a dead end after Special Disbursing Officers (SDOs) Gina Acosta and Julieta Villadelrey testified that they turned over funds to Col. Dennis Nolasco and Col. Raymund Dante Lachica of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), who were assigned to secure the Vice President.
“Now, after the SDOs gave the funds to Nolasco and Lachica, what happened next? So ngayon, based dito sa affidavit ni Madriaga, binigay dito, binigay dito, binigay dito,” Chua said in a televised interview.
He further stressed that the alleged transfer of funds to military officers raises accountability issues, as they are not authorized to disburse confidential funds.
“Now, who is Colonel Nolasco? Who is Colonel Lachica? They are not connected. They’re not even connected to OVP (Office of the Vice President) and DepEd (Department of Education) kasi AFP sila eh. Ang trabaho nila is to secure the Vice President, not to disperse (funds),” Chua said.
He pointed out that responsibility for confidential funds is clearly defined, with strict parameters on their use.
Such funds, he said, must be spent only for authorized purposes, with accountability resting on the head of the agency – such as the Vice President in the OVP or the Education Secretary in DepEd – and the SDOs, who are entrusted with and responsible for the release of the funds.
Chua said that even without Madriaga’s testimony, concerns over the handling of confidential funds remain.
The House Committee on Justice is currently determining whether there is probable cause to elevate the impeachment complaints to a full trial before the Senate. (PNA)
