THE House prosecution said Monday that the P4.4-billion financial trail involving Vice President Sara Z. Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases “Mans” Carpio, is supported by official records that must be reconciled with Duterte’s declared P98.5-million net worth.
“This is not speculation. This is not a fabricated story. May resibo ito,” House impeachment team adviser and spokesperson Ace Barbers said at a press briefing, referring to reports from covered institutions submitted to the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).
AMLC Secretariat Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura earlier testified before the Senate impeachment court that records showed P4.4 billion in aggregate covered and suspicious transactions involving Duterte and Carpio from 2007 to 2025.
The amount included P1.63 billion in inflows, P1.31 billion in outflows and P1.46 billion that the AMLC could not reliably classify as either.
Barbers said prosecutors would compare the AMLC records—including cash withdrawals, insurance transactions, time deposits and dollar-denominated dealings—with Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs).
“Ngayon nakita na po natin ’yung financial trail,” Barbers said.
Iloilo 1st District Rep. and Deputy Speaker Janette Garin said having substantial wealth or business interests is not illegal, but these must be accurately reflected in the sworn declarations of public officials.
“Hindi naman mali kung may pera ang isang tao. Hindi rin mali at maganda nga kung may negosyo ang isang tao. Subalit dapat nagtutugma ito sa SALN, sa dinideklara ng isang opisyal,” Garin said.
Garin also sought an explanation for P319.33 million in inward remittances from mainland China and Hong Kong to Cale88 Foods Corp., where Carpio held a 47.5% interest through 2024.
She said prosecutors would need to establish whether the remittances represented payments for products, additional investments or other legitimate transactions.
“Anong invoice? Anong pruweba bakit nagkaroon ng transmittal, o pagpapadala ng P319.3 million pesos galing sa China?” Garin said.
Buenaventura testified that three Cale88 transactions were reported as suspicious because they had “no underlying legal or trade obligation, purpose or economic justification.”
Prosecution spokesperson and counsel Benjamin “Jay” Tolosa Jr. said the financial records must be examined alongside Duterte’s P98.5-million declared net worth as of end-2025.
“Kailangan nating ibangga ito,” Tolosa said.
The prosecution has also presented evidence involving firearms worth more than P7 million, real properties valued at about P9 million and financial transactions reported to the AMLC.
Tolosa said these pieces of evidence would be considered together to determine whether Duterte’s declared wealth accurately represented her total assets or whether her actual wealth was substantially higher.
Among the transactions cited by Buenaventura were six check encashments and over-the-counter withdrawals totaling P41 million from Carpio’s accounts on Aug. 6, 2024.
He also testified about seven transfers totaling P193.71 million involving joint accounts of Duterte and her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, on March 28, 2014.
Tolosa stressed that the records would ultimately be weighed against Duterte’s SALNs to determine whether her declarations were complete and accurate.
Barbers, however, clarified that the prosecution was not yet alleging that the financial records themselves established that a crime had been committed.
“Hindi po natin sinasabi sa ngayon, sa puntong ito, na meron nang crime na na-commit o na nangyari, kundi kailangan magkaroon ng sapat na paliwanag,” he said.
The House prosecution is presenting the AMLC records under Article II of the impeachment case, which accuses Duterte of unexplained wealth and failure to fully disclose her assets and financial interests.
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