DEPUTY Speaker Paolo Ortega V of La Union on Friday said Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) records showing billions of pesos in transactions linked to Vice President Sara Z. Duterte cut through any claim of modest means and point to a “bilyonarya” profile that contradicts her declared wealth in official filings.
Ortega, a co-endorser of one of the impeachment complaints, said the mismatch raises red flags that could point to unexplained wealth.
“Huwag paloko ang publiko—magkaiba ang milyon sa bilyon. Hind ito simpleng inconsistency. Kung ang isang opisyal ay nagdedeklara ng milyon, pero ang galaw ng pera ay umaabot sa bilyon, posibleng indikasyon ng unexplained wealth lalo’t hindi sila nagpapaliwanag,” Ortega, co-endorser of one of the impeachment complaints, said.
Ortega issued the statement as the House Committee on Justice continues its impeachment proceedings to determine probable cause on complaints against Duterte, including allegations of unexplained wealth, misuse of confidential funds, and discrepancies in her Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs).
“Kung pagbabasehan ang AMLC records, malinaw na bilyonarya pala si VP Sara. Hindi ito tugma sa SALN na milyon lang ang dineklara. May malaking agwat na kailangang ipaliwanag,” said Ortega.
“Malinaw ang ipinapakita ng AMLC records—bilyon-bilyon ang pumasok at umikot sa mga account na may kaugnayan sa bise presidente. Hindi ito tugma sa kanyang mga dineklarang yaman sa SALN,” he added.
During a recent hearing, AMLC Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura confirmed that Duterte and her husband, Atty. Manases Carpio, were linked to 663 bank transactions—630 covered and 33 suspicious—totaling P6.77 billion, which were flagged and submitted to the panel.
For Duterte alone, the AMLC recorded 313 covered transactions and 17 suspicious transactions totaling P3.77 billion, including P1.83 billion in inflows and P1.21 billion in outflows.
For Carpio, the AMLC reported 317 covered transactions and 16 suspicious transactions amounting to P2.99 billion, including P2.59 billion in inflows and P343.3 million in outflows.
Combined inflows reached P4.42 billion, while outflows exceeded P1.55 billion, with an additional P791.1 million classified as undetermined transactions.
In the same hearing, a representative of the Office of the Ombudsman presented a consolidated timeline of Duterte’s SALNs from 2007 to 2024, showing her declared net worth rising from P7.25 million in 2007 to P88.51 million in 2024, with intermediate increases to P22.11 million in 2012, P34.89 million in 2016, P49.69 million in 2018, and P55.61 million in 2019.
The contrast between multi-billion-peso transactions and a declared net worth below P100 million highlights what Ortega described as a glaring mismatch between financial activity and official disclosures.
Ortega stressed that the SALN is a constitutional requirement meant to ensure transparency and accountability among public officials, and any major discrepancy between declared assets and actual financial activity cannot be taken lightly.
“Ang SALN ay hindi simpleng dokumento lamang. Ito ay obligasyon sa taumbayan. Kapag may malaking agwat sa dineklara at sa aktwal na galaw ng pera, malinaw na may kailangang ipaliwanag—at kung hindi maipaliwanag, may pananagutan,” Ortega said.
The House leader said the findings underscore the need for a full accounting from the Vice President as the impeachment process moves forward.
“Hindi ito usapin ng politika. Usapin ito ng katotohanan at pananagutan. The Filipino people deserve clear answers—saan nanggaling ang perang ito at bakit hindi ito naipakita nang tama sa SALN,” he said.
Ortega insisted that the impeachment proceedings will continue to rely on documentary evidence and sworn testimony.
“Ang ebidensya ang magsasalita. At sa puntong ito, ang mga dokumentong lumalabas ay nagbibigay ng malinaw na dahilan para ipagpatuloy ang proseso at papanagutin ang dapat managot,” Ortega said.
