MANILA Rep. Joel R. Chua, chair of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, said Vice President Sara Z. Duterte may have committed an election offense if allegations that her 2022 campaign was partly financed by Chinese nationals linked to Pharmally are proven true.
Chua, a lawyer and member of the House Committee on Justice, said the claims raise serious concerns, as Section 81 of the Omnibus Election Code prohibits foreign nationals from contributing to a candidate’s campaign expenditures.
If the allegations are true, Chua said Duterte would have committed a culpable violation of the Constitution, since she took an oath to uphold it and abide by the laws enforced by constituted authorities such as the Comelec. This would then constitute an impeachable offense.
“Kapag napatunayang dayuhan ang mga nag-ambag sa kampanya, malinaw na may isyu ng culpable violation of the Constitution,” Chua said in a statement.
Section 96, meanwhile, makes it unlawful for candidates and political parties to solicit or accept such contributions, whether directly or indirectly.
“Ang nakikita ko rito ay posibleng election offense, dahil may distribution na naganap. Kailangan nating alamin kung ang mga sangkot ay Chinese citizens. Kung sila ay foreign nationals at hindi Pilipino, malinaw na may paglabag sa election code,” Chua said.
Duterte’s alleged bagman, Ramil L. Madriaga, claimed in his supplemental affidavit to have received millions of pesos from Pharmally financial officer Lin Weixiong and businessmen Maestrado Lim — also known as Tony Yang — and his brother Michael Yang, supposedly for the vice president’s campaign activities.
Chua recalled that Lim and Yang are also known associates of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, with Yang having served as his economic adviser. They are also among the individuals linked to the illegal operations of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO).
Madriaga said the funds were used by the Initiative for Social Justice, Innovation, and Progress Pilipinas (ISIP), a non-profit organization he formed whose acronym, he said, originally stood for “Inday Sara is my President.”
It was allegedly created to support Duterte’s 2022 presidential bid, which he said was established on the instructions of both Duterte and the former president in 2020.
Once ISIP was up and running, Madriaga said the former president directed him to collect financial donations from close allies and supporters. These included P175 million allegedly from Wei Xiong and P100 million purportedly from Lim.
Madriaga claimed the money was used “to fund the campaign activities of ISIP across the country,” covering the establishment of chapters, campaign merchandise, travel, accommodations, office rentals, and allowances for volunteers and organizers.
Chua also pointed out that receiving donations from foreign nationals is one issue, but whether Duterte declared these contributions in her Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) is an entirely separate concern, should the allegations prove true.
“Ang tanong diyan—nasa SOCE ba iyan? Kung tumanggap ka ng ganoong kalaking halaga, dapat malinaw at tumpak ang deklarasyon. Duda ako kung may P175 million mula sa Pharmally na naka-entry sa kanyang SOCE. Iyan ang kailangang linawin,” he said.
When asked whether the Duterte camp would still take the opportunity to confront these allegations at the impeachment hearings, Chua said the Committee on Justice is keeping its doors open.
If the vice president wants to submit an affidavit or any evidence she deems necessary to deny the claims, she may do so freely and the panel will take it into consideration, he added.
“Mag-submit sila ng mga affidavit o anumang ebidensiya na sa tingin nila ay makakatulong sa kanilang panig. Tulad ng sinabi ng chairman, hangga’t hindi pa tapos ang hearing, bukas ang komite sa pagtanggap ng lahat ng ebidensiya,” he added.
The vice president has been absent from all of the Justice committee’s hearings so far, refusing to directly answer the impeachment allegations against her and choosing instead to file petitions seeking to stop the proceedings and issue public statements on social media attacking the committee’s credibility.
