MANILA — Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said Vice President Sara Duterte visited detained former lawmaker Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr. at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) facility in Camp Bagong Diwa in October, and not Ramil Madriaga, contradicting claims made by Madriaga’s camp.

“Pumunta sya doon pero kinausap nya si Arnie Teves, hindi si Madriaga,” Remulla said during a press conference held by the National Police Commission (Napolcom) on Tuesday, December 23.

Asked whether there was closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of Duterte’s visit, Remulla said records were kept by the jail warden, who was present during the meeting.

“Wala daw pinagusapan masyado,” Remulla said, adding that this was the extent of what he knew about the encounter.

Remulla’s statement runs counter to allegations made last week by Madriaga’s lawyer, Raymund Palad, who claimed that Duterte visited Madriaga twice this year at the same facility — first to allegedly offer help in dismissing his kidnapping case in exchange for dropping an exposé against her, and again on October 19 when Madriaga supposedly refused to meet with her.

Duterte denied Palad’s claims in a statement issued Monday, saying she never had a personal relationship with Madriaga and had never visited or spoken to him in prison.

“I have never visited him in prison, nor have I spoken to him about anything at any time,” Duterte said.

Teves, a former three-term congressman, is detained at Camp Bagong Diwa facing multiple murder charges, including the March 2023 killing of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo and 10 others. He has been designated as a terrorist by the Anti-Terrorism Council and was deported from Timor-Leste in May before being transferred to BJMP custody in June.

Madriaga, who is also detained at the same facility on kidnapping charges, earlier submitted a sworn affidavit to the Office of the Ombudsman alleging that Duterte’s 2022 vice presidential campaign was financed by Philippine offshore gaming operators and drug dealers. He claimed he personally delivered duffel bags filled with cash on Duterte’s orders.

He also alleged involvement in organizing the “Inday Sara Duterte Is My President” movement in 2020 and said he later worked under colonels Dennis Nolasco and Raymund Dante Lachica in the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group, transporting large sums of money from July 2022 to April 2023.

Duterte dismissed Madriaga’s allegations as baseless, calling them an attempt to obstruct and undermine her possible presidential candidacy in 2028. She said Madriaga, who has a prior criminal record, was acting out of desperation to secure his release from detention.

In her statement, Duterte said the photos Madriaga submitted were taken during public events and did not support his claims.

“Bare allegations, no matter how loudly repeated, amount to nothing more than noise,” she said.

Duterte has also previously drawn parallels between her situation and that of Teves, accusing the Marcos administration last year of using the “Arnie Teves playbook” against her through alleged baseless charges and other actions.