IT is diversionary and apparently intended to hide the fact that Vice President Sara Z. Duterte and her husband Manases Carpio allegedly had P6.7 billion in bank transactions, as reported by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).
House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability Chair Joel Chua of Manila, a lawyer and a member of the House Committee on Justice, made this statement in reaction to the plan of the Vice President’s husband, who is a lawyer like Chua, to charge committee members and officials of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and AMLC with violating the Bank Secrecy Law and the Anti-Money Laundering Law.
Chua also said committee members and their witnesses enjoy immunity from prosecution under the Constitution.
He called Carpio’s plan as a “diversionary tactic.”
He said the vice president and her husband have not denied the AMLC report that there was a total of P6.77 in “inflows” and “outflows” in their bank accounts from 2006 to 2025.
“Ito ay maliwanag na diversionary tactic lamang para ibahin ang naratibo dahil maliwanag po, isa lamang po ang maliwanag, hanggang ngayon hindi pa rin nila tinatanggi ang transaction na P6.7 billion na dumaan sa kanilang bank account,” Chua said Monday in a radio interview over dwIZ.
He pointed out that Carpio has also not commented on the accusation of former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV that he (the vice president’s husband) was allegedly involved in the smuggling of illegal drugs contained in magnetic lifters.
“Ang katotohanan nga yan pati ang mga sinabi ni dating former Sen. Trillanes eh bakit hindi rin nila ginawang issue.?Samantalang mayroon din doong issue tungkol sa magnetic lifter kung saan siya inaakusahan na naglabas nito,” he added.
“Kaya nga po itong lahat na ito ay maliwanag na para lamang lihisin ang totoong isyu at ang totoong isyu ay mayroon pong pumasok ng P6.7 billion sa kanilang bank account ng mag-asawa at hanggang ngayon hindi pa nila ipinapaliwanag at itinatanggi,” Chua stressed.
The Manila lawmaker also asserted that members of the House Committee on Justice and their witnesses enjoy immunity from prosecution as provided for in the Constitution.
“Alam naman po ni Atty. Manases Carpio at mga abogado na ang mga miyembro ng Kamara may immunity from suit lalong-lalo kung ang kanilang ginagawa ay nasa committee level o sa plenaryo…Ito po ay nakapaloob sa ating Saligang Batas. Kaya maliwanag na maliwanag na kami ay hindi pwedeng kasuhan base sa nasabing probisyon ng Saligang Batas,” he said.
He said Carpio’s petition would not distract the committee from doing its job.
“Kami po ay naka focus lamang sa aming gagawin at tuloy tuloy lamang ang aming gagawin,” he said.
Chua likewise said the panel did not violate the Bank Secretary Law and AMLA.
He tried to differentiate “bank records” from the AMLC report on “covered” and “suspicious” transactions, which banks are required to inform the AMLC.
“Maliwanag sa Bank Secrecy Law na ang bangko bawal maglabas ng data nila kung maliban na lamang tuwing impeachment proceeding…Ito pong nilalabas namin ay hindi bank account. Ang inilabas dito ay report ng AMLAC, mga covered transactions at saka mga suspicious transactions. So maliwanag na wala pong paglabag. At dito sa AMLAC ito ay bunga ng subpoena duces tecum na inilabas ng Kongreso. So maliwanag po na wala talagang batas na nilalabag dito,” he said.
He tried to differentiate “bank records” from the AMLC report on “covered” and “suspicious” transactions, which banks are required to inform the AMLC.
“Maliwanag sa Bank Secrecy Law na ang bangko bawal maglabas ng data nila kung maliban na lamang tuwing impeachment proceeding…Ito pong nilalabas namin ay hindi bank account. Ang inilabas dito ay report ng AMLAC, mga covered transactions at saka mga suspicious transactions,” he said.
“So maliwanag na wala pong paglabag. At dito sa AMLAC ito ay bunga ng subpoena duces tecum na inilabas ng Kongreso. So maliwanag po na wala talagang batas na nilalabag dito,” Chua added.
