PASAY CITY, Philippines — Senate President Pro Tempore Vicente “Tito” Sotto III on Wednesday, October 7, likened the recurring movement of funds connected to Vice President Sara Duterte and former President Rodrigo Duterte to the traditional Filipino dance “tinikling”.
The remark came during impeachment court proceedings as senator-judges reviewed bank transactions exceeding ₱96 million from a joint bank account associated with the Dutertes, where funds were repeatedly converted into manager’s checks.
Testifying before the impeachment court, Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) division head Marwin Galvez explained the mechanics of purchasing a manager’s check. Galvez stated that when a manager’s check is purchased, the corresponding sum is debited from the original account and moved to BPI’s manager’s-check settlement account. Consequently, the funds do not reflect in the originating account’s balance while the check remains outstanding.
Prosecution panel member Atty. James Bryan Ibrahim Alih presented records showing two time deposits valued at approximately ₱41 million and ₱55 million. He noted that these funds were repeatedly converted into manager’s checks without being immediately cashed, only to be returned to the bank later and replaced with new ones.
Documents submitted to the court detailed six cycles involving the two sums across several periods: March and October 2011, April and October 2012, and April and October 2013.
Sotto poked fun at the unusual transaction cycle, mentioning that a banker had once described the practice using the name of the traditional folk dance.
“Yung daw pag-issue ng manager’s check, pagkatapos hindi ginagamit, later on, after 31st of December, ibabalik—ang tawag daw doon, ‘tinikling,’” Sotto said.
Galvez noted that he was unfamiliar with the term.
Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan pressed further into how the practice impacted the visible balance of the BPI account ending in 9539 at the Julia Vargas branch, registered under “Rodrigo Roa Duterte or Rodrigo Roa Duterte and Sara Z. Duterte”.
Pangilinan questioned if the ₱41 million was removed from the account balance by December 31 in the cited instance.
“So by December 31, wala ’yung ₱41 million, at least doon sa unang example, doon sa bank account?” Pangilinan asked.
“Tama po, Your Honor,” Galvez replied.
“Hangga’t outstanding po ’yung manager’s check, Your Honor,” Galvez added, confirming that the money was temporarily held in the bank’s settlement account instead.
Following the exchange, Pangilinan requested BPI bank statements showing the account’s balance during the dates the checks remained uncashed. Presiding Officer Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero ordered the clerk of court to provide the records to the senator-judges.
Senator Erwin Tulfo inquired whether the time deposits were established, renewed, and converted into manager’s checks while the account holders served as public officials.
“Yes, for the period covered po, but not necessarily the current position, Your Honor,” Galvez said.
“By converting these funds into a manager’s check, the money effectively vanished from visible monthly bank statements of that specific account number, correct?” Tulfo asked.
“Hindi po siya lalabas as part of the total balance, Your Honor, for as long as nasa manager’s-check account,” Galvez explained, clarifying that while the money was removed from the source account’s visible statement balance, it remained within BPI.
When asked by Tulfo who ultimately deposited or cashed the manager’s checks, Galvez stated he would need to review the submitted BPI records before answering.
Senate President Win Gatchalian subsequently shifted focus to the account’s Know Your Customer (KYC) compliance records. Galvez verified that both named account holders had completed and signed the mandatory BPI KYC documentation.
Gatchalian emphasized the relevance of the bank transactions to Vice President Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN).
“The reason why I am asking, kasi binabangga ko ito doon sa SALN ni Vice President Sara,” Gatchalian said.
He underscored that the two combined time deposits totaled over ₱96 million in 2010 and 2011 before being converted into manager’s checks, as senator-judges continued to examine whether the repeated transactions obscured the actual wealth declared in official financial disclosures.