Ramil Madriaga

Ramil "Ram" Lagonoy Madriaga (born September 18, 1968/1969) is a Filipino former racing driver and a former security agent for President Rodrigo Duterte and mayor-turned-vice president Sara Duterte. He is currently detained at Camp Bagong Diwa since July 2023 for alleged involvement in a kidnapping case.

Early life and education Madriaga graduated from San Sebastian College with a law degree in 1995 (another source cites San Beda College of Law), but failed to pass the Philippine Bar Examination in the same year.

Vicente Uy kidnapping accusation and exoneration On the evening of March 25, 1996, a Chinese-born businessman based in Mandaluyong named Vicente Uy (or Ngo Lit Poon) was kidnapped along Wilson Street in San Juan, Metro Manila and held hostage in Villa Christine resort in Antipolo, Rizal for a ten million peso ransom, with Madriaga alleged to have been the mastermind within a kidnap-for-ransom group that committed the kidnapping.

During the kidnapping trial at the Pasig City Regional Trial Court, Branch 262, Madriaga testified that in the early morning of March 26, his cousin Rosendo B. Madriaga asked for his assistance in leaving the Villa Christine resort while a hostage situation was ongoing, in which "look-outs" surrounded the area and prevented Rosendo from leaving. Ramil alleged that he was hesitant at first to help due to the bar exam results that were about to be announced, but decided to alert an army officer at Camp Aguinaldo later that day, and the day after went to Virginia Avelita, Uy's common-law wife and the name provided by his cousin, who then informed Lucy about the incident. By the time of his release, Madriaga had been working for the National Security Council since 2001, according to his 2025 affidavit. In February 2013, he participated as a representative of IRM Racing in the Philippine Touring Car Championship Series at the Batangas Racing Circuit.

Prior to the 2016 elections, Madriaga worked for Congressman Roilo Golez of Parañaque, assisting him in matters of intelligence gathering and "sabotage operations". After Duterte's election as president, Madriaga alleged that he was hired to work directly for Duterte as a counter-intelligence agent under the National Security Council (NSC), Madriaga claimed that Mayor Duterte gave strict instructions to him not to hold any conversation with her via text, only through calls.

During the same year, Madriaga allegedly encountered several farmers in Bataan who sought his help in a land grabbing case involving Harry Roque, a Duterte ally, wherein they accused First Bataan Mariveles Holdings Corporation (FBMHC) of evicting more than 120 families from a 421 hectare land in Mariveles. Immediately after Madriaga's arrest, Roque filmed a video congratulating the PNP Anti-Kidnapping Group for arresting "a truly shameless kidnapper that is Ramil Madriaga". Madriaga later recounted his feeling of betrayal: "that despite all my efforts to support Sara - to the extent of even committing high-risk acts for her and her family, she did not lift a finger to stop Harry Roque, who is her known ally and supporter, from filing the unfounded kidnapping case against me."

December 2025 affidavit In December 2025, Madriaga filed an affidavit dated November 29 before the Office of the Ombudsman alleging that he served under Cols. Raymund Lachica and Dennis Nolasco in the delivery of confidential funds to several point persons, among whom were an aide to a mayor from Laguna and the owner of a Quezon City comedy bar. Aside from the confidential funds, he also claimed that he has personally been engaging in this type of operation for Duterte even prior to her becoming vice president in 2022. Madriaga and his lawyer Raymund Palad claimed that Duterte visited his jail cell twice in October 2025, with the second visit taking place on October 19, a day before Palad visited Madriaga.

Personal life Madriaga is a member of Iglesia ni Cristo.

ISIP Pilipinas co-founder Ryan Rey Quilala and his wife Aurea "Rhea" Quilala served as godparents in Madriaga's son's wedding.