The Philippines' National Security Council (NSC) says it will look into millions of pesos sent from China to a company tied to Vice President Sara Duterte's husband, adding a national security dimension to an impeachment trial that could end her political career. The move follows testimony from the country's anti-money laundering agency that the firm received about ₱319 million in remittances from mainland China and Hong Kong.
What The Anti Money Laundering Council Told The Senate
Testifying on the 33rd day of the trial before the Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, Ronel Buenaventura, executive director of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), said the money was remitted to Cale88 Foods Corp., a banana chip maker in which Duterte's husband, lawyer Manases "Mans" Carpio, held a substantial stake until 2024. Another ₱50 million reached the same company from eight other countries, The Philippine Star reported. The transactions had been flagged in covered and suspicious transaction reports.
Under questioning, however, Buenaventura acknowledged that the financial records show only that the money originated in China and cannot establish whether it came from the Chinese government or from private companies, Bloomberg reported. He stressed that a suspicious transaction report alone does not prove money laundering or any other wrongdoing, and noted that the funds went to Cale88 rather than directly to Duterte or her husband.
Chinese State Firms Among The Senders
During the same hearing, Senator Risa Hontiveros, one of the senator judges, identified two of the Chinese companies behind the remittances and said both had links to the Chinese state, as Rappler reported. One, China National Township Enterprises, is a state-owned agricultural company that once fell under China's Ministry of Agriculture and describes itself as serving Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative. The other, Beijing Zhenweifang Food Co., has a strategic cooperation agreement dating to 2019 with Xinjiang Fruit Industry Group, a state-owned enterprise whose corporate structure includes its own Chinese Communist Party committee and subordinate party branches.
Buenaventura said the AMLC's appearance was limited to the records covered by the court's subpoena and that the agency had not examined the corporate affiliations of the companies that sent the money.
Why The National Security Council Stepped In
National Security Adviser Eduardo Oban Jr. said the NSC would examine the information presented at the trial and coordinate with intelligence and investigative agencies to assess whether it poses a real threat to national security. Any credible information involving significant foreign financial flows that may affect national security, he said, deserves careful, thorough and responsible assessment.
The AMLC also told the court that Duterte and Carpio had about ₱4.4 billion, or roughly $70.4 million, in suspicious bank transactions over the 18 years from 2007 to 2025. Separately, former senator Antonio Trillanes IV has alleged that the couple received payments of ₱150 million and ₱319 million through their respective entities.
How Duterte And Beijing Responded
Through a spokesperson, Duterte said the AMLC's claims do nothing to show the money came from illegal sources. Her defense lawyers told reporters that releasing such "raw data" invites misleading and false speculation.
The Chinese Embassy in Manila rejected the allegations, saying Beijing "has never funneled funds to any Philippine political faction," and accused the Philippine side of malicious hype and political manipulation.
What Is At Stake In The Impeachment Trial
The funding questions surfaced as the Senate tries Duterte over allegations that she failed to fully disclose her and her husband's assets in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN). She also faces charges of misusing confidential public funds and of publicly threatening the safety of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. She has denied all the accusations.
Duterte, the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, remains one of the leading contenders for the 2028 presidential election. If two thirds of the senator judges, or 16 of 24, vote to convict, she would be removed from office immediately and permanently barred from running for or holding public office, ending any bid for the presidency.
YP
