MANILA, Philippines — The House committee on justice on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, uncovered what lawmakers called a “smoking gun” in the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte. Data presented by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) revealed billions of pesos in bank transactions that allegedly fail to align with the net worth she declared in her annual Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN).
The revelations center on a massive discrepancy between her reported liquid assets and the actual flow of funds through accounts linked to her and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio.
Lawmakers highlighted the enormous gap between the Vice President’s official declarations and the financial activity tracked by the AMLC:
- The SALN Tally: According to the Office of the Ombudsman, Duterte’s declared cash and bank deposits from 2007 to 2024 never exceeded ₱6.36 million. Strikingly, she stopped declaring any cash or bank deposits in her SALNs starting in 2019.
- The AMLC Tally: The council reported that an unspecified number of accounts linked to Duterte logged 417 transactions totaling ₱3.92 billion between 2005 and 2026.
- Joint Accounts: When including accounts shared with her husband, the AMLC tracked over 600 transactions worth a staggering ₱6.7 billion.
Rep. Chel Diokno (Akbayan) told reporters that this discrepancy provides probable cause for accusations of unexplained wealth.
“The discrepancy between the two figures is enormous… This is the smoking gun as far as probable cause is concerned. That is something we cannot reconcile.”
The AMLC also disclosed that Duterte became a “subject of suspicion” in 27 confidential reports between August 2024 and January 2026. These flags were triggered by various investigations, including:
- The House Quad Committee probe into the previous administration’s “War on Drugs.”
- Allegations linking her husband to a ₱6.4-billion shabu importation case in 2017.
- The alleged misuse of ₱612.5 million in confidential funds at the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education.
A key point of contention during the hearing was the “sudden and continuous absence” of liquid asset declarations in Duterte’s SALNs following her 2019 reelection as Davao City mayor.
- 2007–2018: Duterte consistently declared petty cash and deposits, peaking at ₱6.36 million in 2017.
- 2019–2024: Her subsequent SALNs, including those filed as Vice President, indicated “nothing” for cash and bank deposits, despite her net worth reportedly growing from ₱7.25 million in 2007 to ₱88.51 million in 2024.
There was no immediate comment from the Vice President or her spokesperson, lawyer Michael Poa, regarding the specific AMLC figures.
The House justice committee is scheduled to hold its fourth and final hearing to determine probable cause on April 29, 2026. If the committee finds sufficient evidence, the impeachment complaints will move toward a vote in the plenary, potentially leading to a trial in the Senate.